Tourism

Local Tourism - including the Promotion of Local Tourist Attractions/Destinations.

Updated 22nd January 2011

CURRENT SITUATION

1. Destination in the context of local Tourism is confusing to some tourists, Local Tourist Attractions may be clearer; perhaps we should use Local Tourist Attractions/Destinations.

2. This “paper” is about the listing and examination the local tourist attractions/destinations and how they should be promoted. It is not about the future of the Cooma Visitors Centre

3. Tourists arrive at tourist attractions/destinations by air, driving a car, or riding in a bus, or on a bike or on a motorbike, or walking tours (with a guide) or just walking.

4. Tourists are interested as individuals in different types of tourist attractions/destinations, for instance folk who are not interested in a car museum, may be passionate about visiting gardens. Each to his or her own interests.

5. It is suggested that over 85% of tourists plan their trip by using the internet. The use of an up to date portal is therefore essential to allow visitors to the Monaro region to get best value.

6. In the Cooma-Monaro Shire the tourist attractions are somewhat sorted by the town of Cooma and the outlying villages ie Michelago, Bredbo, Numeralla and Nimitabel.

7. The majority of local tourist attractions/destinations are divided into two areas, active- those which are run by a small business or not for profit committee, and those which can be described as passive.

8. A third type is that of visiting a going concern not being run as a tourist attraction eg visiting a shearing shed in action.

9. Then there are major events like the organized motor bike rides, vintage cars, dog show, the Cooma Show, Open Gardens, Racing in December, Horse Jumping in January, the Rodeo - that attract many people to the Shire and Region.

10. Sport and sporting events are obviously important.

11. Fishing deserves special attention.

12. An active list for Cooma may include the Raglan Gallery, the Red Spot Gallery, the Heritage Railway, Past Times, Snowy Hydro Information Centre, The Gaol Museum, the Gliding Club, Polo Flat Airfield,Golf Club, Air Rifle Club, Bocco, Bowling Club, Car Club..

13. The passive list for Cooma may include the treeless plains, Mt. Gladstone lookout, the Murrumbidgee River and the old mill, the Tuross Falls, the 57 heritage buildings in the Shire, The Back Cooma Creek Reserve, the Kanda Homestead, the Reserves owned by the National Parks, the Cooma Metaphoric System , Cowra Creek Gold Mine, Cooma Pumping Station (old steam engines) Fitness Park though Cooma, abandoned gold Mines at and near Numeralla.

14. Each of the villages have tourist attractions/destinations, which must be supported and should be part of the Shire and regional planning.

15. The region offers the use of theme tours, for example on geology, on the Snowy Hydro on Merino Sheep or even a pub crawl. These can have a guide or individual cars can use a CD purchased at Visitors Centres, cafes, newsagents and so on.

16. It should be noted that local tourist attractions/destinations are not in competition with each other, rather they should work closely with one another.

17. The major tourist attractions outside and nearby the Shire are very important to the Shire as Cooma is described as a hub. North to Canberra, east to the Coast, south to SE Victoria, and west to the Snowy Mountains. Critics will say we should not spend precious resources on attractions/destinations not in our region, but as a accommodation centre this type of promotion is very important to the Cooma accommodation houses.

18. How are these tourist attractions promoted? Most people would say that that is what the Cooma Visitors Centre is about, but it is much more complex than that. NSW Tourism is involved as is Tourism Snowy Mountains. There are many websites. There is individual promotion and advertising plans especially for the active list. However nothing is well coordinated. Especially important are websites which give a lot of information to potential tourist and visitors to the region.

WHERE TO FROM HERE

1. The gathering onto a master list of all local attractions/destinations

2. All local attractions should be described in a uniform way

3. All promotion should be coordinated.

4. The use of information boards – YOU ARE HERE - at all major local tourist attractions/destinations showing locations of other destinations

5. Funds available should be used in the most useful way, and again coordinated overall

6. Tourist signage throughout the Shire should be revised.

7. There must be encouragement of new tourist oriented enterprises

8. Changes if any to the Cooma Visitors Centre need to be made as quickly as possible.

9. Tourist buses need every encouragement

10. Websites – all the material on the local and regional websites need to be coordinated, and brought together by some sort of portal arrangement.

11. “Papers” on points of interest should be written by experts

NEXT STEP(S)

1. Revision again of this draft paper by interested people.

2. Set up a current master list of all local attractions/destinations suggestions to be sent to -dugald@coomatown.com.au.

3. Form a standing Committee under the guidance of the Cooma Visitors Centre – a Friends of the Cooma Visitors Centre concept.