Agenda of Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group

Minutes of the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group

Meeting Date: Monday, 25 June 2018

Location: Jervis Bay Rooms, City Administrative Centre, Bridge Road, Nowra

Time: 5.00pm

The following members were present:

Ms Lynn Locke - Chairperson

Clr Amanda Findley

Clr Joanna Gash – left 5.53pm

Clr Patricia White

Clr Alldrick – arrived 5.07pm

Ms Juliet Barr

Ms Brenda Sambrook

Mr Neil Rodgers

Dr James Lin

Ms Louise Hallum

Mr Robert Crow

Ms Kylie Pickett

Mr David Goodman

Others Present:

Clr Nina Cheyne

Stephen Dunshea – Director Finance, Corporate and Community Services

Coralie Bell – Tourism Manager

Jessica Rippon – Executive Manager - Communications

Shannan Perry-Hall – Tourism Investments and Events Specialist

Kristy Mayhew – Tourism Marketing Specialist

Apologies / Leave of Absence

Nil

Confirmation of the Minutes

RESOLVED (Dr James Lin / Robert Crow)

That the Minutes of the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group held on Monday 30 April 2018 be confirmed.

CARRIED

TA18.23 Election of Office Bearers

HPERM Ref: D18/186268

Coralie Bell – Tourism Manager called for nominations for Chairperson.

Clr Gash nominated Lynn Locke. Lynn Locke accepted the nomination.

No other nominations for Chairperson were received.

Lynn Locke was declared Chairperson

Coralie Bell – Tourism Manager called for nominations for Deputy Chairperson.

Clr Gash and Lyn Locke nominated Rob Crow and Louise Hallum. Rob Crow and Louise Hallum accepted the nomination.

No other nominations for Deputy Chairperson were received. The Committee agreed that Rob Crow and Louise Hallum would be appointed as Co-deupty Chairpersons.

The Committee congratulated the Office Bearers.

RESOLVED (Clr Gash / Robert Crow)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group appoint the following Office Bearers for the period until June 2019:

1. Chair of the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group – Lynn Locke

2. Co-Deputy Chairpersons – Rob Crow and Louise Hallum

CARRIED

Declarations of Interest

Nil

Reports

TA18.31 Tourism Impacts During Peak Periods - Hyams Beach

HPERM Ref: D18/178427

Clr White addressed the meeting and raised concerns that in relation to parts 1 to 4 of the Report Recommendation that it is a Shoalhaven wide issue and not just Hyams Beach.

Note: Clr Alldrick arrived 5.07pm

Clr Gash noted that close communication is required between Council, STAG and the Tourism Manager.

Recommendation

That Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group:

1. In reference to A.1 - Acknowledges the shortfall in the planning and delivery of tourism infrastructure and strongly recommend Council adopt a wholistic and strategic approach to ongoing maintenance of aging infrastructure going forward as a matter of priority;

2. In reference to A.3.D - Acknowledge uncontrolled growth in tourist visitation is likely to put other local communities at risk of loss of amenity as well as suffering environmental damage without better planning and management and continue to encourage tourism and community needs are a consideration in long term strategic planning of future infrastructure. In addition, STAG urges Council to support the development of the 360 Model and the implementation of subsequent Tourism Destination Management Plan, both designed to consider the long-term business sustainability of the industry and its impacts.

3. In reference to A.3.E and F - Agree and support the position that more resources must be strategically invested in tourism and community infrastructure, as well as the management of the influx of visitors particularly during the peak season and;

a) STAG agree that long term, an ongoing failure to manage these issues will have a detrimental impact on the holiday experience of people choosing to visit the Shoalhaven, and in turn our local community.

4. In reference to A.3.H - Encourage Shoalhaven Council to investigate opportunities for revenue raising including business levies or paid parking.

a) NOTE: Shoalhaven Tourism does not support the introduction of a bed tax in any form.

5. In reference to B.5.A - Do NOT support POP up Tourism information on Jervis Bay Road, as STAG believe that POP up VIS stands needs to be where the visitors are in order to be effective. In addition, the proposed location is a safety concern from a risk management perspective.

a) It is the recommendation of STAG that Mobile Visitors Services remain in the town of Huskisson over peak periods as required.

6. In reference to B.5.C - Do not support the idea of park and ride into Hyams Beach as customer experience will be compromised, urging Council to better evaluate timed parking options.

RECOMMENDATION (Clr Alldrick / Louise Hallum)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group request Council acknowledge the following Shoalhaven Citywide responses to MIN18.38 Ordinary Meeting 30 January 2018:

1. In reference to Part A.1 – STAG acknowledges the shortfall in the planning and delivery of tourism infrastructure and strongly recommend Council adopt a wholistic and strategic approach to ongoing maintenance of aging infrastructure going forward as a matter of priority;

2. In reference to Part A.3.d – STAG acknowledge uncontrolled growth in tourist visitation is likely to put other local communities at risk of loss of amenity as well as suffering environmental damage without better planning and management and continue to encourage tourism and community needs are a consideration in long term strategic planning of future infrastructure. In addition, STAG urges Council to support the development of the 360 Model and the implementation of subsequent Tourism Destination Management Plan, both designed to consider the long-term business sustainability of the industry and its impacts.

3. In reference to Part A.3.e and f – STAG agree and support the position that more resources must be strategically invested in tourism and community infrastructure, as well as the management of the influx of visitors particularly during the peak season and;

a. STAG agree that long term, an ongoing failure to manage these issues will have a detrimental impact on the holiday experience of people choosing to visit the Shoalhaven, and in turn our local community.

4. In reference to Part A.3.h - STAG encourage Shoalhaven Council to investigate opportunities for revenue raising.

a. NOTE: Shoalhaven Tourism does not support the introduction of a bed tax in any form.

5. In reference to Part B.5.a – STAG do NOT support POP up Tourism information on Jervis Bay Road, as STAG believe that POP up VIS stands needs to be where the visitors are in order to be effective. In addition, the proposed location is a safety concern from a risk management perspective.

a. It is the recommendation of STAG that Mobile Visitors Services remain in the town of Huskisson over peak periods as required.

6. In reference to Part B.5.c – STAG do not support the idea of park and ride into Hyams Beach as customer experience will be compromised.

CARRIED

TA18.24 Chair's Report

HPERM Ref: D18/192962

The Committee provided their personal feedback on the “Winter Wine Festival” weekend and advised that there was an increased presence of Police patrolling the area.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Group receive the Chair’s Report for information.

RESOLVED (Clr Gash / David Goodman)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Chair’s Report for information.

CARRIED

TA18.25 Tourism Manager's Report

HPERM Ref: D18/186122

The following comments were made in relation to the Tourism Managers Report:

Coralie Bell – Tourism Manager – In relation to Holiday Homes, Council hasn’t received a lot of detail at the moment from State Government and what they plan to propose. Council will have to make a decision on whether Council wants to make a cap at 365 or 180 days or somewhere in between.

Clr Gash – Stated that in relation to the cap of days, that she would be happy for Council to take each case on its merits.

Clr White – advised that a Study has been conducted by Sydney Uni which Council made a financial contribution to be included as part of the study of Coastal Towns/Villages. Findings were due to be released in May 2018, however the findings have been held back due to the decision yet to be made by the State Government. The findings should be out by end of June/early July.

James Lin – advised that when translating Jervis Bay into Chinese and/or other Asian languages there is no meaning for the words Jervis Bay. When marketing to the Chinese and other Asian markets, the people of China do not use Twitter and Facebook, they use Wii Chat. Suggested that when target marketing in China, market the name White Sand Coast. – Clr Gash suggested that James meet with Matt Cross.

Action: Tourism Manager to provide a report on International Marketing more broadly at the next meeting and introduce James Lin to Matt Cross.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Tourism Manager’s Report for information.

RESOLVED (Louise Hallum / David Goodman)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Tourism Manager’s Report for information.

CARRIED

TA18.26 Destination Marketing

HPERM Ref: D18/188222

Kristy Mayhew addressed the meeting and advised that for any members wishing to assist with the roll out of the 7 Wonders Campaign to contact her directly.

For this competition prizes will be sought.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Destination Marketing Report for information.

RESOLVED (David Goodman / Robert Crow)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Destination Marketing Report for information.

CARRIED

TA18.27 Events and Investment	HPERM Ref: D18/178453
Note: Clr Gash left the meeting at 5.53pm
Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority) That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Events and Investment Report for information.
RESOLVED (Brenda Sambrook / Juliet Barr) That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Events and Investment Report for information. CARRIED

TA18.28 Event Support Review

HPERM Ref: D18/191062

Shannan Perry-Hall outlined the Review, addressed the findings from the Working Group, and advised that applications are only open twice per year.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Advisory Group

1. Accept the report for information.

2. Endorse and support the Working Groups recommended changes to the Event Support Guidelines.

RESOLVED (David Goodman / Kylie Pickett)

That the Shoalhaven Advisory Group

1. Accept the report for information.

2. Endorse and support the Working Groups recommended changes to the Event Support Guidelines (provided as an attachment to the report).

CARRIED

TA18.29 Visitor Services Report

HPERM Ref: D18/179269

Coralie Bell – Tourism Manager addressed the meeting and spoke to the report.

The Bomaderry Train Station was mentioned as a potential site for Tourist Information.

Possible options could be either a window or a glass cabinet/Notice Board. It was suggested that Tourism consult with Pride of Bomaderry and RailCorp.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the report for information and accept recommendations of the STAG VIS Working Group.

RESOLVED (Louise Hallum / Kylie Pickett)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the report for information and accept recommendations of the STAG VIS Working Group.

CARRIED

TA18.30 Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness	HPERM Ref: D18/177742
Coralie Bell – Tourism Manager addressed the meeting and advised that the App doesn’t directly drive out of season visitation and add to our regions ability to support year-round employment.
Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority) That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group: 1. Receive the report for information and decline the need for a presentation - recommending that Shoalhaven Tourism does not support co-funding the implementation and ongoing costs. 2. Acknowledging that the program seems like a great idea for environmental engagement, however, the application does not directly drive out of season visitation and add to our regions ability to support year-round employment, as is the main goal of Shoalhaven Tourism promotion.
RESOLVED (David Goodman / Clr White) That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group: 1. Receive the report for information and decline the need for a presentation - recommending that Shoalhaven Tourism does not support co-funding the implementation and ongoing costs. 2. Acknowledging that the program seems like a great idea for environmental engagement, however, the application does not directly drive out of season visitation and add to our regions ability to support year-round employment, as is the main goal of Shoalhaven Tourism promotion. CARRIED

TA18.31 Tourism Impacts During Peak Periods - Hyams Beach

HPERM Ref: D18/178427

Item dealt with earlier in the meeting.

TA18.32 Shoalhaven River Festival

HPERM Ref: D18/180554

This report followed from a resolution of Council requesting the governance structure of the River Festival to be properly established.

Shannan Perry-Hall spoke to the requirements of the committee and that staff had been working with committee members to establish a Terms of Reference and provide training on Code of Conduct, conflicts of interest and better governance requirements.

The Committee had no objections to the Terms of Reference.

Recommendation

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group

a. Receive the report for information

b. Recommend members, as detailed below, to be officially appointed to the River Festival Committee.

RESOLVED (Clr Alldrick / Clr White)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group

a. Receive the report for information

b. Officially appoint the following members to the River Festival Committee:

Executive Team

1. Elise Austin, Chair

2. Lynn Locke, assistant to the Chair

3. Michelle Maconachie, Treasurer

General committee members

4. Blake Weyman, Sound

5. David Fleeting, Marina

6. Greg Stephenson, Sponsorship

7. Ian Reid, Multimedia

8. Johny Vynes, Marina

9. Kade O’Rourke, Entertainment

10. Mark Emerton, Traffic Management

11. Marla Guppy, Art Zone

12. Sue Hammond-Warne, Entertainment

13. Terry Chittleborough, Marina

14. Vanessa Cladingbowl, Markets Assistant

15. Greg McLeod, Sound

CARRIED

TA18.33 360 Model - Strategy Working Group Update

HPERM Ref: D18/186480

Coralie Bell thanked the Working Group who have been involved in the process

Louise Hallum thanked The Tourism Manager for being proactive and for all her contributions as a holistic approach.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Advisory Group

a. Accept the report for information and continue to support the work of the Strategy Working Group

b. Agree to the next steps as outlined below.

RESOLVED (Brenda Sambrook / David Goodman)

That the Shoalhaven Advisory Group:

1. Accept the report for information and continue to support the work of the Strategy Working Group

2. Agree to the next steps as outlined in the report and below:

a. To complete this stage of the 360 Model

i. Complete online Model tool so all stakeholders can review as part of ongoing management

ii. Create the surveys for locals and visitors and administer so that data can be fed into the model

iii. Finalise adaptive management in partnership with the Strategy Working Group

b. Ongoing Management

i. Set up meeting with Environmental stakeholders

There have been significant challenges. NPWS have suggested a meeting with key environmental stakeholders for discussion on opportunities to work more collaboratively in the future.

ii. Bring key reports to STAG as part of ongoing adaptive Management

iii. Create a Destination Management Plan (DMP) considering key outcomes and learnings from the 360 Model

c. Into the future

i. Continue to work with UOW to look at opportunities for collaboration

ii. Implement DMP actions and relevant adaptive management on yearly basis and report to STAG Review opportunities to develop identified stage 2 monitoring.

CARRIED

General Business

TA18.19 Sports Board Update

HPERM Ref: D18/109674

David Goodman provided a verbal update and stated that it has taken 8 months to create/establish the Value and Mission Statement which will be presented to Council.

Hoping to go to all the local Chambers to advise who the Sports Board is and how the Committee can help.

Nowra Golf Club recently held a Pro-Am Golf Day, consisting of 19 teams of 4. Another Pro-Am is scheduled in October at St Georges Basin.

Nowra Vets is running an event in October which could include up to 120 players.

The Committee agreed how important its is for businesses to be on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) site.

TA18.34 Councillor updates

HPERM Ref: D18/190773

A space in the agenda for Councillors to have the opportunity to update STAG members on any tourism related information they’ve seen in the region (as requested by STAG).

No discussion on the matter.

TA18.35 Industry Feedback

HPERM Ref: D18/190815

The SEC is holding an event for the Shoalhaven Business Chamber after hours event – to meet the new Group Directors and the Senior Management Team on Wednesday 27 June 2018 at 5.30pm.

If you are a member of the Shoalhaven Business Chamber the event is free, if not tickets are $20.

There being no further business, the meeting concluded, the time being 6.37pm.

Ms Lynn Locke

CHAIRPERSON

Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group – Monday 27 August 2018

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TA18.38 Events and Investment

HPERM Ref: D18/243225

Group: Finance Corporate & Community Services Group

Section: Tourism

Attachments: 1. Event Digital Marketing Toolkit (under separate cover) ⇨

Purpose / Summary

To update the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group on events and investment in the Shoalhaven region.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Events and Investment Report for information.

Options

1. Receive the report for information.

2. Request more information.

Past Supported Events (since 1 July 2017)

o AFL Junior Championships

o 2017 Motocross Nationals

o Family Fishing Carnival

o State Team Time Trials

o Melbourne Cup Tour

o Chilli and Chocolate Festival

o Huskisson Running Festival

o Escape Artfest

o PGA Golf

o Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival

o Long Course Weekend Jervis Bay

o Shoalhaven River Festival

o National Indigenous Football

o Garden Clubs of Australia National Convention

o National Indigenous Football League

o Australian Junior Surfing Titles

o Water Polo Junior Championships

o Callala Ultimate Triathlon

o Fairgrounds Festival

o Outrigger State Championships

o Huskisson Triathlon Festival

o Shoalhaven Week of Golf

o Athletics NSW - Waratah Series Challenge and Greater Bank Fun Run

o AFL Junior Championships

In Progress

· DNSW Conference Funding - Regional visit by Business Events and Conference team due soon – Will arrange meeting with DSSS and DNSW team. Working with several business event organisers on possible applications for funding.

· Event EOI for Funding currently being assessed

o Dragon Boat Regatta – Nowra – 15^th – 16^th September

o Bondi to Berry Ride to Remember – Berry – 8^th September

o PGA Senior Championships – St Georges Basin and Mollymook – 16^th – 29^th October

· Industry website development and supporting information creating a one stop shop for event development and approval information.

· Website updates with relevant event information including helpful templates.

· Event Support Program Funding implementation – updating forms, website information and communicating changes to industry.

· DNSW Event Funding – DNSW Incubator Funding will be announced soon. Currently working with 4 event organisers to submit applications.

· 2018 / 2019 financial year planning, including meetings with Shoalhaven Water and Holiday Haven as part of the Event Support Program funding.

· Working with several accommodation providers to secure funding for infrastructure projects.

· Huskisson Triathlon Festival Update – Group Directors met on the 19^th July and agreed that we should continue to support the event, on the proviso that there are improvements to the traffic management, courses, notifications, signage, maps and communications from the 2018 event. Council recognises the importance of the event, they also acknowledge that the 2018 event had significant issues and expect these issues will be addressed.

Next Steps –

o Correspondence to Councillors and Community / Business stakeholder groups informing them of process / next steps.

o A complete set of traffic management plans to be drafted by Elite Energy.

o Event Advisory Group meeting (with draft plans) with Police, RMS, Council, Emergency Services and Elite Energy to table-top the plans, identify concerns and problem solve.

o Elite Energy revise plans from feedback and decisions from the Stakeholder meeting.

o Elite Energy submit final traffic plans and event application which will go through referrals process. We will also require an indication of the level of notifications, signage etc. that will be implemented.

· Strategic Planning are currently undertaking a review of Tourist and Visitor Accommodation on rural and environmental zoned land – providing strategic tourism direction to include in the review.

· Liaising with event organisers who are proposing to use public land for events. As well as assessing and permitting events on public land and filming permits.

o Event Applications currently being assessed

§ Bondi 2 Berry – Ride to Remember (Berry Bowling Club) 8 September

§ Dragon Boat Regatta (Greys Beach) 15 - 16 September

§ Shoalhaven Rowing Club Regatta 22 September

§ Gone Fishing Day (White Sands/Voyager Park, Huskisson) 14 October

§ Long Course Weekend (White Sands Park, Huskisson) 19 - 21 October

§ Noahs Challenge (Mavromattes Reserve, Paringa Park, Moorehouse Park, Nowra) 21 October

§ Shoalhaven River Festival (Mavromattes Reserve, Paringa Park, Moorehouse Park, Nowra, Greys Beach North Nowra) 27 October

§ Sand and Sea Festival (Huskisson Beach) 26 - 28 October

o Other Event Enquiries and/or Meetings

§ Freedom of Entry (Nowra CBD)

§ Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival (Osborne Park, Kangaroo Valley) 19 -21 October

§ Drone Event (concept enquiry)

§ NSW NPWS Event (concept enquiry)

§ Under the Southern Stars (event advice)

Upcoming Supported Events

· Chilli Chocolate Festival – Shoalhaven Turf Club – 29th July

· South Coast Wedding Fair – Various Locations – 4th and 5th August

· Husky Half Running Festival – Huskisson – 19th August

· Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival – Kangaroo Valley – 21st – 22nd October

· Long Course Weekend – Huskisson and Nowra – 19th – 21st October

· Shoalhaven River Festival – Nowra – 27th October

· Sand and Sea Festival – Bay and Basin – 26th – 28th October

· For a full list of Shoalhaven events visit https://www.shoalhaven.com/events

Results

· Destination Network and Shoalhaven Tourism met with Willinga Park’s Events Team and Terry Snow to discuss long term plans and how to engage with Destination NSW more.

· Secured Under the Southern Stars without financial support due to the time of year.

· Stephen Hunter (Events Liaison Officer) trained, beginning to implement processes to educate and upskill local event organisers as well as streamline approval processes and develop templates.

· The new Event Marketing Toolkit (see attached) has been completed as part of the Event Marketing Workshops. This will be available on http://shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/My-Community/Events.

· Meeting held with Shoalhaven Police to discuss event approvals and police notification process. Following the meeting implementation of new contact details and notification form has been completed.

· New internal referral system for events has been implemented – like DA referrals. RFS will now be informed of all on-road events through a similar process as Shoalhaven Police.

· The link to the Crowded Places Self-Assessment tool is now included in the Event Application Form for event organisers to use during their event planning and approvals process.

· Huskisson Christmas Carnival – Following issues at the 2017/18 event a Safety Audit has been developed by the organisers to address concerns raised by Council and Shoalhaven Police. Feedback has now been given to the event organisers and will be implemented for the 2018/19 event.

· Event EOI for Funding assessed and supported

o South Coast Wedding Fair – various locations. Application approved

o Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival. Application approved

o Golf NSW 2019 NSW Mid-Amateur Championships – Shoalhaven Heads. Application approved

o Country Music Event – Berry. Application approved

· Event permits issued – May 2018 – July 2018

o SeeChange Festival (White Sands Park, Huskisson) 8 - 11 June

o NAIDOC Family Fun Day (Nowra Showrground) 11 July

o Berry Duathlon (Berry Showground) 14 July

o State Team Time Trials (Wugan St) 22 - 22 July

o Husky Running Festival (White Sands Park) 19 August

o Lions Country Fair (Lions Park, Sussex Inlet) 29 September

o Spring into Sanctuary Point (Francis Ryan Reserve) 27 October

· Events referred/cancelled/no approval required

o Memory Walk - Moona Moona Reserve 22 July – Referred to Facilities

o Bush and Beach Running Festival - Shoalhaven Heads 29 July – Cancelled due to logistical issues

o Unity Walk - Moorehouse Park 26 August – Referred to Facilities

o Escape Arts Festival - Ulladulla Civic Centre 4 - 7 October – Referred to Civic Centre (after initial proposal and enquiry for multiple sites)

o Relay for Life - Ulladulla Civic Centre 17 November - Referred to Civic Centre (after initial enquiry exploring other sites)

o Holy Spirit Annual Fair - Catholic Church, Vincentia 29 September (information only – private site)

o Wild Things Festival - Berry Showground – Assessed and denied

o Sussex Inlet Family Fishing Carnival 13 - 18 July – No approval required (hosted at RSL)

· 13 filming applications assessed, and permits issued – May – July 2018

· Athletics NSW - Waratah Series Challenge and Greater Bank Fun Run - 23rd June – Nowra

o Participation

§ Over 600 competitors and officials participated in the Athletics NSW event, the weather was wonderful and helped provide a great atmosphere for participants. Direct communication to the 40,000 members in the Run NSW Database with information about Shoalhaven, things to do and places to stay.

o Future Plans / Involvement

§ Shoalhaven Tourism has supported Athletics NSW events for the past 3 years. Full assessment will be made on future events as per the Event Support Program.

· AFL Junior Championships – Nowra – 5th – 7th July

o Participation

§ Full post event report to be supplied.

o Future Plans / Involvement

§ Planning to grow Junior numbers significantly over the next few years, which will also grow accompanying family numbers. Shoalhaven has a strong history of support with this event. This year funding support dropped slightly to reach an acceptable ROI. Future events will be assessed as per the Event Support Program.

Up Next

· Implement new Strategic Action Plans

· Work with the Shoalhaven 360 model and implement

· Work with Management Committees to formalise event approval processes and notification to Council.

· Continue to grow the Investor Database for both events and accommodation development.

There are no exceptions to be reported.

Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group – Monday 27 August 2018

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TA18.39 Destination Marketing

HPERM Ref: D18/250620

Group: Finance Corporate & Community Services Group

Section: Tourism

Attachments: 1. 2019 Visitor Guide Media Kit ⇩

2. Tourism Arts and Culture Strategy (Confidential - under separate cover)

3. (early) DRAFT Arts and Culture Brochure (Confidential - under separate cover)

Purpose / Summary

To provide a summary of Destination Marketing activity for Q2: April 1 – June 31 2018

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Destination Marketing Report for information.

Options

1. Receive the report for information

2. Request more information

Update:

Industry
NSW Tourism Award – 100 Beach Challenge
Marketing has worked hard on a submission for the 100 Beach Challenge in the Destination Marketing Category of the 2018 NSW Tourism Awards. Draft Submission feedback was positive and the final application is to be submitted on 7 August.

Tourism Talk Website
Work building the Tourism Talk website has been continuing. This website will be the home of all our resources to support operators and to inform them about news and opportunities, an extension of our successful Tourism Talk monthly E-Newsletter.

Destination NSW Drives Campaign
Marketing will be working on building content across existing Tourist Drives throughout the region to capitalise on the campaign promoting the drive market across NSW.

Planning and Strategy
Marketing has been working hard on the five year DMP including Actions and KPIs set for the next period. An Annual Marketing Plan for 2018/19 will be next.

Publicity
Significant Social Media / Influencer engagement

Channel	Followers	Post	Engagement
Instagram @Dedicated_lifestyle	116K	11 posts at Bannisters, Dolphin Sands, Paperbark Camp and Hyams. Luxury, fashion, wellness.	21.6k
Instagram @jesshart (model)	244K	3 posts at Bannisters. Luxury, fashion, wellness	7k
Instagram.com @celesterochele	9.1K	20 posts around Booderee, dating back 10 months. Coastal aquatic, swimwear fashion	65.7k
Instagram @elisecook	268k	1 post at Green Patch, Booderee Coastal aquatic, vanlife, fashion.	16.7k
Instagram @josh_burkinshaw	17k	12 posts at Termeil, Depot Beach, Greenfield, Mollymook. Coastal Aquatic, drone.	25K

Significant Publicity / Media Articles
Marketing has worked directly with journalists from large publications and TV shows to secure high exposure features during this period, some still to be published. This includes two real estate relocation shows, as well as two Sydney Weekender episodes filmed. The team worked hard on another full TODAY Show weather cross with Destination NSW, and have organised famils with multiple print publications such as Australian Geographic, the Daily Telegraph and Canberra Times.

Publication	Reach	Links / Update
Country Style Magazine	349K	Multiple page feature on Mollymook in print, showcasing several businesses. https://www.pressreader.com/australia/country-style/20180701/282943860941733
TODAY Show	253K	Full morning of Channel Nine weather crosses featuring five experiences from Kangaroo Valley. https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/5477382/delights-of-kangaroo-valley-featured-on-today-show/
Sydney Weekender	180K	Mike visits Hampden Deli Dining, Cedars, and goes kayaking on the river. https://www.sydneyweekender.com.au/hop-to-it/
Canberra Times	55K	Full double page feature with local photographers on Bioluminescence and glowing mushrooms https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/tim-the-yowie-man-nature-s-neon-signs-20180612-p4zkyz.html
Babyology Blog	1.2M	A family winter weekend in Jervis Bay with a full itinerary including whale watching and Aboriginal Cultural Experience: https://babyology.com.au/lifestyle/travel/family-adventure-time-why-the-nsw-south-coast-is-a-brilliant-winter-wonderland.html
Canberra Times	55K	Winter School Holiday feature including famil on BigFoot and promotion of Murramarang National Park. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/act/tim-the-yowie-man-s-top-tips-to-get-the-kids-outdoors-this-winter-20180703-p4zpav.html
news.com.au	5.7M	Block judge Neil Whittaker buys house in Berry https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/block-judge-buys-berry-nice-home/news-story/bc6728666a5582e5ff78fcfe7592d415
Domain.com.au	2.6M	Positive article on the impact of the Berry Bypass https://www.domain.com.au/news/why-the-new-bypass-has-made-berry-an-even-lovelier-place-to-live-20180424-h0z658/
Gourmet Traveller	248K	Sponsored feature on a weekend away in Kangaroo Valley https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/travel/destinations/a-weekend-away-in-kangaroo-valley-16015

Visitor Survey Results YTD March 2018

Year ending March 2018 shows strong growth in Domestic Overnight Visitors as well as nights, with an average 3 day stay. Total Expenditure has stayed steady toward our 2020 goal, but Day Visitors didn’t spend as much as they have in other periods. International Visitor numbers have strong growth off a low base, as is the current trend but Shoalhaven grew less than the rest of the South Coast. International Visitors stayed an average of 3.8 days, which is relatively small compared to Sydney, where International Visitors stay an average of 20 nights. Insight: Work needs to be done to get the Day Visitor spend up, as well as increase the nights and spend for International.

· Total Expenditure: $852m – tracking above same period last year, and well toward 2020 goal of $1billion

· Domestic Overnight Visitors: 1.58m visitors - a new record for a year end March period - 8.5% higher than the same period in 2017 (significant)

· Domestic Visitor Nights: 4.82m nights - a new record for year end March - 9.3% higher than the same period last year

· Domestic Day Visitors: 1.76m One of the highest recorded for a 12-month period - 15.9% increase (significant)

· International Visitors: 63,100 - a new record

· International Visitor Nights: 309,000 - 68.8% increase 29.9% increase on same period in 2017

2019 Visitor Guide
The 2019 Visitor Guide is currently under development. An editorial and visual direction has been set, and advertising is rolling in. The deadline for advertising is 31 August, and we are hoping that, like last year, we can around 50% fund the publication with advertising dollars. Once again 100,000 guides will be printed in time for distribution in December. Please see Media Kit under attachments and share this opportunity to advertise with any industry networks.

Unspoilt Update
At almost halfway through the Unspoilt Campaign, the media results are looking strong with an around 40% conversion rate on leads to industry from our South Coast and Shoalhaven landing pages. We have been given additional bonus media across the Spotify network and Pump TV in service stations throughout NSW. The content shoot is complete with new video being rolled out across online and Regional TV, featuring four hero experiences in the Shoalhaven: White Sand Beaches with a picnic hamper; Rock-climbing in Nowra; Touring through Kangaroo Valley; and Bushwalking in Morton National Park. The TripAdvisor campaign finished on 31 July and we are waiting on results – this was a new booking partner, so products were directly bookable and should be a good indicator of direct economic benefit.

Shoalhaven Seven Wonders Campaign
The Shoalhaven Wonders is a local only competition that sees council departments collaborating to promote community pride in the region. It launched in early July, encouraging locals to nominate a ‘wonder’ in one of seven categories. Originality and creative storytelling are key to the judging, whilst showcasing some of our great assets.

Locals are ambassadors for our region, and the main influence over the Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) market. The VFR market makes up around one third of the motivation to travel to the Shoalhaven and research shows that locals who love where they live are a huge driving force for development of this market. For seven weeks in August and September media across Win TV, Power FM and Fairfax Media drives exposure, along with a publicity, social media and grass roots efforts to drive engagement.

The ultimate goal is to drive entries through the website, on social media using the #shoalhavenwonders hashtag and via several entry boxes across seven locations in the region. As of 27 July, the entries stand at: 105 on Instagram; 62 on Facebook; and 28 via the Website. The winners will be decided by a judging panel including the mayor and STAG members on September 10, followed by a launch event the following week, then a roving exhibition throughout the region. One stand-out benefit from this initiative is the collaboration between council departments it has fostered, and the positive sentiment toward council in the media and from locals.

Arts and Culture Strategy
Tourism has been actively consulting with the Arts and Culture working group to determine the direction of a brochure and associated campaign. The strategic direction is to focus on ‘trails’ throughout the region, ranging from the larger galleries and museums, to artisans and crafts experience, public art and living culture. A draft of the brochure has been created, and the working group has been asked for feedback and for assistance to identify product gaps. Next steps are to fill these product gaps and work with artisans, cultural product to get them onto ATDW and therefore our website. We will then use this product in the brochure, on a landing page on shoalhaven.com and throughout various content, social media and publicity activations. See Attachment 2 for the overarching strategy for the campaign and a draft of the brochure has been attached for your information.

Digital Marketing Report
Highlights:
- New Analytics improvements that will give us greater insights include Visitor Guide downloads (May), Itinerary analytics (July), Flickr analytics (July), and coming soon – Leads to Industry.
- Instagram YOY growth is above 100% in 3 key areas of engagement, lifetime followers and new followers.
- Advertising is running at an average of 60c per lead back to Shoalhaven.com or 100beachchallenge.com, well below our $10 cost per lick benchmark.
- Coastal aquatic remains very popular content, seasonal blogs and events also ranked highly.

The diagram below is a representation of the flow of customers through our online channels.

Paid Digital Advertising:
Paid advertising has generated 31k clicks to our websites at an average cost of $0.60 per click. Inspiration and brand awareness have been successful with Shoalhaven brand seen 11.6 million times on Google search, You Tube, Facebook and Instagram during this quarter. Google advertising has been particularly effective, generating 2 out of 3 clicks to the websites, and 32k You Tube views at a cost of just 10c per view. We cannot ignore social media, for a 20% less spend it generated 76% of all impressions. Remarketing is extremely assets before we can retarget them effective at $0.32 per click generating 48% of clicks (but we must get them to our owned).

Website update:
Top line stats | shoalhaven.com

There is a significant increase in unique users to our site on last year, however, the new format of shoalhaven.com, should be generating more pageviews due to the itinerary based nature of the site. We are building strategies to work on this:

- Promote the experience builder and itinerary builder. This is currently an organic approach, but we will investigate paid promotion once we complete minor improvements to the technology.

- Encourage and promote landing pages to our hero experiences. These are content rich, very useful pages with links and tools to encourage the user to explore the website and plan a visit.

Top 10 visited pages | shoalhaven.com
Visitor Guide Landing Page
Homepage
Honeymoon Bay
Events
Walks
What’s on This Weekend
BookEasy
Visitor information

Top 10 products used in Shoalhaven.com itinerary builder
Honeymoon Bay
Marlin Hotel
Narrawallee Beach
Cupitt’s
Berry Sourdough Café
Bottlerocket Bar & Café
Dog & Monocle
Zac’s Place
The Berry Tea Shop
Ritual Habitual Coffee

Facebook Update:
The new Facebook algorithm favours friends and groups over brands which has resulted in a significant decrease in reach. Considering this, we are pleased that our engagement metric has grown so significantly as this is a much richer metric.

Instagram Update:
Instagram has been a great platform for us to connect with the younger (under 40) audiences. The best performing posts are beautiful drone, sunset and landscape pics and sourced from users. We are pleased to see significant year on year growth.

Visitor Email Newsletter:
The monthly Visitor EDM’s have an above average open rate of 29.7% (April was 36.5%), with the most popular content from the quarter being a yoga holiday blog, Burradise Festival & whale watching. Other popular content has been our seasonal blogs (food & wine, retreats), Shoalhaven videos, South Coast Soul Festival and SeeChange.

Up Next

2018/19 Marketing Plan
Shoalhaven Wonders judging and event planning
Visitor Guide and Arts and Culture content development
360 Model and Tourism Talk Websites go live
Spring content and advertising activations
Ask Me I’m Local Ambassador call out
2019 Unspoilt planning and grant submission

Exceptions to this report:
Marketing requests two STAG volunteers for the Shoalhaven Wonders Judging Committee – Monday September 10, 10-12pm.

Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group – Monday 27 August 2018

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TA18.41 International Marketing and Product Development

HPERM Ref: D18/258138

Group: Finance Corporate & Community Services Group

Section: Tourism

Purpose / Summary

To update the Advisory Group on growth opportunities on international promotion and agree on the best way forward.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the report for information and agree to have the Strategy Working Group assist with international strategy - acknowledging the group have delegated authority to make recommendations on behalf of the larger group to progress the project.

Options

1. That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group agree to have the Strategy Working Group assist with international strategy acknowledging the group have delegated authority to make recommendations on behalf of the larger group to progress the project.

Implications: Shoalhaven Tourism will work with the Working Group on EOI and Tender documents to deliver international promotion and product development for the region.

2. Request more information

Implications: Shoalhaven Tourism will continue with EOI process and provide more information.

Background

For many years Shoalhaven Tourism has had a partnership with Discover Jervis Bay (DJB) in international promotion.

Under this agreement DJB promotes the Shoalhaven primarily to an Asian international group and FIT markets, branding the destination broadly as “Jervis Bay”.

Key points of interest:

- Markets serviced by our partner are China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and more recently India.

- The investment of SCC primarily takes to market up to 45 Shoalhaven businesses with market specific products (mainly Jervis Bay and North) to wholesalers and agencies in international offices and at trade shows. Discover Jervis Bay works as an International Tour Operator (ITO) and takes a commission from each business partner in addition to our funding.

- The typical traveller has pre-booked a package and is coming to the Shoalhaven ex Sydney for 1-2 days maximum. They experience a few products and then return.

- Visitors are traditionally high volume – low yield. Large groups visiting often in quiet times with custom designed low-cost packages. Packages are booked through international agents who also take commissions.

- An international bi-lingual website is maintained by DJB (inspirational, no booking platform)

In August 2017, STAG reviewed our international marketing strategy and recommended Shoalhaven Tourism continue with the DJB agreement for 6 months, but also requested the Tourism Manager spend some time learning about international marketing and product development opportunities to report back.

Summary of key learnings undertaken by Tourism Manager this year

Opportunity	Action taken	Key Learning / Observation
Australian Tourism Exchange http://www.tourism.australia.com/en/news-and-industry-tools/events/australian-tourism-industry-events-calendar.html	Tourism Manager and Deputy Chair attended in 2017 at Sydney, as a guest of DJB.	This was my first real insight into international tourism marketing. ATE is run by Tourism Australia and is the largest event of its type in AU. It was like a large expo, much the same as others, but with stands from regions, states and businesses all with stalls promoting what they do and where they are from. DJB had a stall as part of a row of NSW businesses. Paperbark Camp were also there from our region and Destination Wollongong had a team there promoting Grand Pacific Drive. From my observations, most tangible results seemed to be gained from pre-organised one-on-one meetings with the international tourism organisations, that appear to come from existing relationships. Businesses sat and spoke about their business or region and gave inspiration and information to buyers who were building itinerates. These buyers work essentially like holiday wholesalers, to sell holiday itinerates to the public in various markets and countries throughout the world. DJB were very busy with one-on-one meetings and kindly allowed me to sit and listen in to several. They spoke through a folder of available products that could be booked through their business and showed a video created for the region. DJB are clearly well respected by their trade partners and have strong relationships. It was very clear that Shoalhaven did not have the right type of accommodation for the large group market. It was also my observation that DJB did a great job promoting their business partners, and as a bi-product “Jervis Bay” broadly speaking, but the region was not represented. It was also noted that DJB also represent many businesses outside of the Shoalhaven LGA. Louise Hallum, Deputy Chair, also attended the event.
ATE Trade Famils	Off the back of ATE in Sydney, DNSW organise large and influential trade wholesale buyers to visit regional NSW. Shoalhaven Tourism worked with the DNSW trade team more closely and attended some lunches with wholesalers in region to learn about the practice and experience. DJB also hosted many wholesale trade famils.	Trade famils seem to be an important part of the ATE experience although I found it hard to quantify the actual value. It is unclear how many actual bookings we received in region as a result. It was also reiterated that we are not well set up for large international marketings. Indian wholesalers asked questions about how many Indian places there where to eat for example, and Asian wholesalers asked about availability of hotel accommodation and Asian food options. Whilst several I spoke to commented that they had a great time and found the region beautiful, I also got a general feeling whilst inspirational, it may not meet the needs of the large wholesaler.
Mentoring from Anthony Osborne, Sapphire Coast Tourism.	One-on-one conversations and learning from neighbouring LGA who has worked for many years developing the international market	Sapphire Coast have taken a very different approach to international. They have focused primarily on product development and have worked with key operators to upskill and develop products that suit the international market. They then work with various state tourism organisations, DNSW and Visit Canberra and Sydney Melbourne Touring, to connect those businesses to existing marketing opportunities. Anthony was at ATE also, but as a guest of Sydney Melbourne Touring. He had an oyster operator doing product development demonstrations on the stage in the middle of ATE, shucking and handing out oysters. It has been my observation that an opportunity exists for Shoalhaven Tourism to work more with business to develop international readiness.
Investigations and meetings with Trade team at Destination NSW	Destination NSW have an international trade team promoting the state	DNSW trade staff explained the large range of resources available to businesses. Shoalhaven only has 2 businesses that are officially recognised as international ready. DNSW were very clear on advising that we are, in their opinion, missing out on a lot of opportunities for our local businesses by not focusing on their programs more and working with businesses to meet market demands.
Sydney Melbourne Touring	Shoalhaven Tourism became a member of SMT and shared a board position with south coast partners Eurobodalla and Sapphire Coast	SMT is a membership organisation, and Shoalhaven only currently have one business who is an active member. The organisation focuses on international promotion and visits trade partners internationally and exhibits at trade shows like ATE. They work closely with Visit Canberra. Opportunities exist to further develop this partnership, however businesses would need to become a financial member of SMT. If funds were available, ST could offer a program to pay membership if there was interest from operators.
Grand Pacific Drive	Managed by Destination Wollongong. Several Tourism Manager meetings and updates to learn about this project.	This project has been identified by the Destination Network as a key opportunity for better collaboration from local government areas in the DNSSS DMP. An opportunity exists to link international ready product across the south coast in marketing collaboration, taking one product to market as an umbrella. A small research project has been taken into the potential for the regions to work together in international marketing, funded by the LGAs and 2 Destination Networks. Results are yet to be received. If we continue to fund DJB at the same level, we do not have any funds available to commit to a collaboration project currently. There seems to be a significant amount of politics and history with some LGAs and GPD, effectively working together will not be easy in the short term but has potential long term if challenges can be overcome.

Current Challenges

a. Shoalhaven lacks the accommodation infrastructure to meet the demand of Discover Jervis Bay clientele. This means that the overnight dollar spend in region is lost to other areas. Whilst STAG have long acknowledged the need for a hotel, this in unlikely in the short term.

b. Local infrastructure is struggling to meet demand despite off season growth from the international sector. With a growing number of independent travellers, the Shoalhaven has no multi lingual signage, minimal bus access areas, very few public amenities and dangerous beaches for visitors with no understanding of the coast or how to swim.

c. Several businesses are trading well off the domestic market and diversifying into international just seems too hard or not needed. There has been little interest from businesses to attend training opportunities with DNSW or to attend workshops provided by DJB.

d. There are a few active businesses who are working solo in the international space, Culburra Motel is a good example of this, promoting fishing direct to China. There is opportunity.

e. Consideration needs to be given to what types of markets the Shoalhaven should be focusing on. Whilst China market promises high year on year growth, is the Shoalhaven prepared for this growth?

f. International product development and marketing is a long-term game. 12-month agreements are not providing the adequate time needed.

Next Steps

a. As per Council Procurement Policy, create an EOI for a 3-year international marketing and product development partner, needed to follow Council policy and test the market capability

b. Go to formal tender for a three-year partnership agreement

c. Review and appoint a partner

d. Working Group to continue to report back to STAG

Financial Implications

Budget for this project is allocated from Tourism Marketing.

Risk Implications

International visitation is earmarked to be the biggest growth sector over the next 10-20 years. Unless Shoalhaven Tourism remain active in promoting the region we risk competitors claiming existing market share.

It is also critical for small business to have access to expert help in creating product to service the international traveller. Meeting the needs of the visitor and the positive in region experience remains critical to long term success and currently most local businesses are not equipped to, nor interested in, catering to the needs of the growing international segments.

There is significant risk of continued conflict with the residents and visitors if infrastructure needs of the region are not planned for and met in the future. Understanding the needs of the international visitor are critical.

Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group – Monday 27 August 2018

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TA18.43 Visitor Services Update

HPERM Ref: D18/268363

Group: Finance Corporate & Community Services Group

Section: Tourism

Purpose / Summary

To give an update of Visitor Information Services from April to June 2018 and full year 2017/2018.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group receive the Visitors Services Report for information.

Options

1. Receive the report for information.

2. Request more information.

New Staff at the Nowra Visitor Centre

Interviews have been conducted for new staff positions at the Nowra Visitor Centre.

We are pleased to announce that George Layoun has accepted one of the full time positions. George has been with us for almost 2 years as a part time member of staff.

George is a valued member of our team and a passionate ambassador for tourism in our area.

The other 2 full time positions have also been processed and have commenced with us in July this year.

Tracey Gibson has 13 years experience working with a Jervis Bay Tour operator, and is very knowledgeable on many aspects of tourism in the Shoalhaven.

Kathryn Dunstan has lived in the Shoalhaven for 16 years and has worked for the past two years within the retail travel industry in the Shoalhaven.

Both are very passionate and enthusiastic about the Shoalhaven.

4 casual positions have also been assessed, and the new staff members have commenced in July.

Lynette Steven, a previous part-time member of staff, has accepted one of the casual positions available. Lyn has a wealth of knowledge of the Shoalhaven and of administrative procedures. We are very happy to retain Lyn and her services.

The other 3 casuals postions have been filled by Glenn Wroughton, Amy Robson, and Sarah Clarke.

What is particularly pleasing about their appointments is that they were all existing volunteers at the visitor centre that have come through our Ambassador Program.

We welcome all the new staff to our team.

Volunteers

Volunteers at the Nowra Visitor Centre have handled 542 visitor enquiries for the June quarter, giving a total of 1638 for the financial year. They have been giving out information on things to do around Nowra, Berry and Jervis Bay, and assistance with travelling further south.

Supplementary Visitor Information Centres

The STAG working group issued a report on the supplementary visitor centres.

The report recommended the continuation of supplementary centres, and to encourage a few more to geographically cover the Shoalhaven.

It was identified in Stage 1 to update the display stands at the existing centres.

To date, 4 new stands have been installed, at Berry, Bawley Point, Shoalhaven Heads and Dunn Lewis in Ulladulla. A fifth stand is to be installed at Greenwell Point over the next few weeks.

Financials

The table below shows income and expenditure figures for Quarter 4 broken down into business units and compared to last year’s results.

INCOME - NOWRA
Description	Q4 2017/18	Q4 2016/17	Variation	YTD 2017/18	YTD 2016/17	YTD Variation	%
Souvenirs	2141	2022	+199	12476	7936	+4540	+55
Books/Maps	2437	1884	+553	11538	9887	+1651	+15
Local Product	2876	3625	-749	16436	13040	+3396	+25
Total	7454	7531	-77	40450	30863	+9587	+30
Comments: Sales are still showing a significant increase year on year. These figures indicate the increased recognition of the new location of the VIS, the desire for local products, and the improvement of the range of souvenirs.
INCOME -ULLADULLA
Description	Q4 2017/18	Q4 2016/17	Variation	YTD 2017/18	YTD 2016/17	YTD Variation	%
Souvenirs	2045	4092	-2047	12146	17694	-5548	-30
Books/Maps	1271	1046	+225	5892	4571	+1321	+28
Local Product	4133	2487	+1646	18170	15042	+3364	+22


Total	7449	7625	-176	36208	37307	-1099	-2

Comments:

Income:

Sales results for Ulladulla are consistent with the previous year. Reduction in space and number of souvenirs have resulted in reduced sales for this category.

- Local product sales have increased considerably on last year YOY. More local product has been sourced so we can grow this market and fill the demand for local product sought by visitors.

Enquiries - Nowra

Description	Q4 2017/18	Q4 2016/17	Variation	YTD 2017/18	YTD 2016/17	YTD Variation	%
Counter	6047	3951	+2096	23386	21414	+1972	+9
Emails	1658	2334	-676	6024	10452	-4428	-42
Phone	2332	3037	-705	11849	13679	-1830	-13
Volunteer	542	0		1638	0
Total	10579	9322	+1257	42897	45545	-2648	-5

Comments:

The visitor numbers to the counter have increased by almost 10% YOY. This indicates that since the move to the new centre, visitors are increasingly recognising the new location of the Visitors Centre.

The drop on emails as a source of inquiry is continuing to decline as visitors source their information vis different means such as the internet.

Phone calls are still an important avenue for obtaining information, with 55% of calls being for the box office, and 45% were for tourist related inquires.

If we ignore the abandoned calls within 15 seconds, 95% of all calls were answered.

Enquiries - Ulladulla

Description	Q4 2017/18	Q4 2016/17	Variation	YTD 2017/18	YTD 2016/17	YTD Variation	%
Counter	2132	3570	-1438	16304	16562	-258	-1
Emails	2	10	-8	76	31	+45	+140
Phone	971	1174	-203	6751	6257	+494	+8
Total	3105	4754	-1649	23131	22850	+281	+2

Comments:

Ulladulla is maintaining its position as a major destination within Shoalhaven Tourism with an 2% increase year on year. There has been an increase in international as well as regional visitors this year

Bookeasy

Description	Q4 2017/18	Q4 2016/17	Variation	YTD 2017/18	YTD 2016/17	YTD Variation	%
Sales	53400	53253	+147	142577	143522	-945	-1
Paid to Operators	46760	47326	-566	125116	127405	-2289	-1.5
Commission earned	6639	5927	+712	16810	16117	+693	+4

Comments:

- Sales for BookEasy have stabilised.

- We are currently looking at operator and staff training to further enhance the understanding of the BookEasy system so that we may improve sales

- We are hoping to see an improvement in online sales

Bookeasy Booking Statistics

Description	Q4 2017/18	Q4 2016/17	Variation	YTD 2017/18	YTD 2016/17	YTD Variation	%
Sales Nowra	10486	11134	-648	90906	93728	-2822	-3
Sales Ulladulla	2249	1557	+692	17797	14096	+3701	+26
Operator Booking Engine +Website	4807	3585	+1222	26670	23168	+3502	+15
Online by Desktop	0	4806	-4806	10594	21174	-10580	-50
Online by Mobile	0	1257	-1257	1230	6397	-5167	-80
Online by Tablet	0	914	-914	2633	6817	-4184	-60
Online - General	2880	0	+2880	12519	2395	+10124	+400
Online Total	2880	6977	-4097	26976	36783	-9807	-26
Total Sales	20422	23253	-2831	162349	167775	-5426	-3

Comments:

- Sales in Q4 have been consistent YOY, however there was a marked fall in May and June.

- Total sales have shown a small decline

- Nowra sales are on par with last year

- Ulladulla sales are continuing to improve, albeit from a small base

- Total yearly sales of online bookings are showing a decline of over 26%. This is disappointing as we expected to see growth in this category as more people are booking online and on their mobile phones.

- There are still issues with the new website where it is difficult to navigate through the searching for accommodation. The decline in mobile use needs to be investigated.

SABO Ticket Sales by VIS Centre Staff

Description	Q4 2017/18	Q4 2016/17	Variation	YTD 2017/18	YTD 2016/17	YTD Variation	%
Ticket sales
Commission Earned	11552	12843	-1291	48945	45855	+3090	+6.7

Comments:

Income for ticket sales is up by $3090 or 6.7% YOY

This is a result of the SEC putting on more shows, and increased marketing for the existing upcoming productions.

Box office operations at the VIC have increased.

Best Seller Report

Merchandise sales continue to sell well. Best sellers for YTD include the Shoalhaven Keep Cups, local handmade soaps, postcards, local scarves as well as other local produce, and a good variety of maps.

We are continuing to source local produce as this is the area that we have seen this category achieve the most growth for the year.

Merchandise is being reviewed to test the market with some new offerings for the next financial year.

Goals For Quarter 1 2018/2019

Another round of volunteer recruitment

Staff restructure at Visitor Services Nowra implementation

Induction and Training of new staff

Continued upgrade of supplementary visitor centres

Review of Merchandise