Five challenges for Australian regional tourism
As delegates gear up for the Australian Regional Tourism Network (ARTN) annual conference in Port Stephens, mytravelresearch.com has highlighted the key challenges that regional tourism bodies across Australia need to address.
With Tourism Australia no longer responsible for domestic marketing, mytravelresearch.com says regional tourism needs to raise its game.
These are the top five priorities the industry needs to embrace.
Be digital ready
Every tourism business in Australia should have a website where customers can book in real time.
Online booking technology for small businesses is relatively cheap and simple to use, yet recent data suggests that 10% of tourism operators don’t have a website, with less than half taking real time bookings.
It’s essential to get online and make your business instantly bookable, otherwise its simply another barrier to purchasing your product.
Embrace content marketing
Business often palm off marketing as ‘someone else’s job’, but if you don’t do it, who else will? Since Google’s Hummingbird upgrade, your search ranking depends on the quality and relevance of your content, both directly and via your advocates.
Start posting tagged tips, comments and texts on what to see or do in your local area to bump your website up a level.
Understand who’s travelling to your area
The Domesticate study shows that reconnection is central to domestic tourism, with at least 12 different ways to find your audience.
Whether it’s using social media like the simple and free #welovethegong hashtag in Wollongong, or more targeted events like music festivals for younger audiences, there are a range of ways to engage with your primary market.
Take tourism seriously
In Australia, 46% of tourism expenditure reaches regional areas, with one in 20 jobs in regional areas being directly tourism related, in particular for young people.
In the ARTN Conference host region of Port Stephens, 3% of all GDP is directly related to tourism, while in neighbouring mid-North Coast, it is almost 9%.
With tourism being one of the highest contributors to the overall economy, tourism businesses need to work together to build a strong future.
Make service top priority
Too often, regional areas drop off in terms of service earlier in the week, but mytravelresearch.com studies show that having more places to eat, particularly outside of weekend times, would be critical to growing visitation and expenditure.
And if you are targeting high yield international visitors, be aware that they expect to be able to drink coffee after 4pm.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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