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ARTN - News archive 5 (March 2009)
Welcome to the ARTN archived news pages. Here you will find news from the ARTN covering the past twelve months. If you are looking for the latest news please click here.
If you want to keep up to date with all the news from both the ARTN and the ARTRC then you should subscribe to our newsletter "Regional Roundup". These newsletters provide a snapshot of effective tourism initiatives including successful promotions, international events and innovative media and marketing campaigns. The newsletter also lets you stay in touch with ARTN staff and programs. Subscribe now .
Archived News
A New Era for the ARTN
With members from Beaudesert in Queensland to Margaret River in Western Australia, the Australian Regional Tourism Network (ARTN) provides a vital link between regional tourism stakeholders right across the nation.
Vivienne Palmer has been appointed Manager for the Network and is based at Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus. Network Chairman, Rod Caldicott welcomed the appointment and particularly the placement at Southern Cross.
“It symbolises the very strong relationship ARTN enjoys with the University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management,” he said. “Regional institutions supporting regional initiatives are certainly the way of the future.”
Ms Palmer said the ARTN was instrumental in a range of regional tourism initiatives, supporting members in all Australian states and territories.
“I am looking forward to bringing a fresh approach to the role of network manager,” Ms Palmer said.
“Our aim is to boost the profile of regional tourism and increase the profitability and yield for members supporting this sector of the industry. We are also looking to develop best-practice techniques and ensure tourism operators, particularly in regional areas, have access to support services and the opportunity to improve their skills.
“Certainly one of my goals is to increase the relevance of the ARTN in the day-to-day operations of tourism businesses and make it a keystone for their success.”
One of the key activities of the ARTN is the annual Australian Regional Tourism Convention, which will this year be held in Alice Springs from August 31 to September 4. The theme of this year’s convention is - Protecting our Past with Future Plans.
Ms Palmer brings to her new role a range of experience in the tourism industry, both in the private and government sector.
“I have experience in private enterprise, destination marketing and local government and so can truly appreciate the various challenges and motivators of tourism industry stakeholders at every level,” she said.
Ms Palmer’s previous experience includes roles at the Ballina Shire Council, Townsville Enterprise Convention Bureau and event management companies in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. New Board and Executive Elected
A new ARTN Board was elected at the ARTN Annual General Meeting held during the Australian Regional Tourism Convention in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.
Mr. Rod Caldicott, Tourism and Promotions Officer for Richmond Valley Council based at Casino NSW, has been elected Chair of the Australian Regional Tourism Network (ARTN); while Dr Meredith Lawrence of the Australian Regional Tourism Research Centre at Southern Cross University was elected to the position of Deputy. Rod steps into the role vacated by outgoing and founding Chair Wayne Kayler-Thomson and looks forward to further growing the reach, breadth and capabilities of the ARTN. “Regional communities or destinations are the lifeblood of what we stand for at the ARTN. It is essential that we listen to what the regions are saying, work on solutions, with or on their behalf, and then deliver positive results back to them,” said Rod. “This may involve research, specific delivery on the ground or working with government to influence policy” he said.
The new Board retains some familiar faces with Therese Phillips (Tourism Qld); Jennifer Hutchison (Yarra Valley and Dandenongs Marketing); Bridget Walch (Tourism Tas); Renata Lowe (Tourism WA) and Maria Purvis (Tourism NT) all returning as members. However the new and expanded Board also welcomes new members including: Mark Byatt (Destination Albury Wodonga); Darren Chirgwin (Otways Tourism Inc); Lori Modde (Lorick Management & Outback NSW Tourism); Colin McLean (Tourism NSW); Marje Prior (Bravo Marketing By Design & Central NSW Tourism); and Rose Wright from the Australian Regional Tourism Research Centre.
To view Committee member bios and photos click here
New Chairman Rod Caldicott says, "The new Board sees great potential for growth of the ARTN and is eager to play a strong role in advancing regional tourism in Australia. The ARTN is the only national body which collectively represents regional tourism in Australia. Our first major task is to prepare a submission to the Federal Government’s Long Term Tourism Strategy and we recently received communication from Minister Ferguson advising his continued interest to work closely with the ARTN into the future. To ensure the ARTN has the resource base to deliver nationally based strategies, it is imperative that the Executive continue to build strong foundations to lead from.
In this regard the Board will continue to build upon the recent Incorporation of the Association by developing sound Governance, Administrative and Network Support structures. In this regard, I am pleased to report that Southern Cross University has also agreed to strengthen their past support for the Network through the development of a formal Memorandum of Understanding and specific Service Level Agreements. This partnership, between Southern Cross University and the ARTN represents just the beginning of a range of strong productive relationships that can be formed with many organisations/agencies around this magnificent country that auger well for delivery of service back to our foundations – regional destinations.
I look forward to the changes and challenges that will inevitably evolve within the National Tourism scene across the ensuing 12 months and will endeavour to ensure the ARTN is both nimble enough to respond but more importantly strong enough to help shape the future for regional tourism.
(From left) new ARTN Chair Rod Caldicott; Renata Lowe (ARTN Board Member); Geoff Brown (Department Resources Energy Tourism); Racheal Klitscher (Tourism Barossa); Bindi Gove (former ARTN Deputy Chair); Wayne Kayler-Thomson (former ARTN Chair); Therese Phillips (ARTN Board Member).
Tourism Australia’s Tool Kits will have your Business Booming
Boosting Your Bottom Line is a practical resource for all Australian tourism businesses. Through practical tips and handy hints it aims to help businesses make the shift towards selling Australian Experiences, putting their businesses in the best possible position to boost their bottom line.
Australian Experiences Industry Toolkit Volume II: Boosting Your Bottomline is a follow-up to Tourism Australia’s first highly successful Australian Experiences Industry Toolkit: Adding Value to Your Business. It aims to build upon the practical tips and handy hints from the first version, to help tourism business operators make the shift towards selling Australian Experiences, effectively positioning businesses to boost their bottomline. The content of this toolkit assumes that operators have already read the first Volume, which can be downloaded from www.tourism.australia.com.
Boosting Your Bottom Line provides important information on:
Inside are number of hints, tips, tools and techniques to provide operators with a framework to personalise their business offerings; stage compelling experiences; connect with Experience Seekers; and hopefully help boost their business’s bottomline.
Planning for Inbound Success Designed to provide tourism businesses with the basic tools, knowledge and key contacts needed to enter the export tourism market.
Tourism Australia has also made available, a ToolKit aimed at helping tourism businesses plan, and develop their products and regions in order to attract the international traveler. With the Tourism Forecasting Committee (TFC) predicting an increase in international arrivals of 4.8 per cent per annum (delivering Australia 8.9 million international visitors by 2016) this is a lucrative market for Australian tourism operators.
The aim of the guide is to assist tourism operators and businesses to overcome challenges associated with attracting international visitors. The guide will:
‘Planning for Inbound Success’ will give tourism operators the understanding, basic tools and key contacts needed to enter inbound tourism.
The toolkits can be downloaded from the Tourism Australia Website by clicking on the images below.
Cultural tourism training opens new doors
Twenty representatives from the Githabul community in Northern NSW have been participating in a collaborative training program developed by NPWS and TAFE NSW.
The pilot education program combines the NSW Environmental Trust-funded Aboriginal Tour Guide Training Manual 2007 with integrated accredited TAFE subjects from Certificates I, II and III in Tourism.
It aims to empower local Aboriginal communities through the building of capacity and opportunities to develop and deliver Aboriginal cultural experiences on NPWS estate and co-managed parks. The Githabul participants successfully completed Certificates I and II in Tourism earlier this year. Course facilitators Jody Orcher, NPWS Aboriginal Education Officer, and Pam Touma, Aboriginal Coordinator, TAFE NSW Brookvale Campus, are enthusiastic about the opportunity.
"The Githabul people were great to work with and they welcomed us to their Country. They have a lot to offer and with future training and mentoring this is a community who will succeed," said Ms Touma. "All people on the course had a great time and learnt a lot," said Githabul representative Jennifer Williams. "We are really looking forward to developing a Githabul Discovery program and one day a Githabul tourism business in the area," she said.
The group is currently undertaking the Certificate III in Tourism. Githabul people are the native title holders for ten parks around Kyogle in the Northern Rivers region.
For more info, phone Jody H. Orcher, NPWS Aboriginal Education Officer, on 02 9585 6883 or email: Jody.Orcher@environment.nsw.gov.au
Have you seen the Indigenous Tourism Web Portal?
The Indigenous Tourism Web Portal is an initiative of Tourism Australia and includes a wealth of information and links for Indigenous tourism operators and the wider industry.
From starting a tourism business to running a tourism business, this site has listings of Indigenous tourism operators, funding programs, training programs, mentoring and advice, and tips such as how to write a business plan, how to increase sales, and tools for marketing the business.
The site also includes more than a dozen in-depth case studies, with words of wisdom from some of Australia’s most successful Indigenous tourism enterprises to inspire, encourage and share the secrets of their success. The website offers easy to understand guides on how to start or grow a tourism business, marketing, financial management and everything else operators may want to know. It has lots of links to other websites, making it easier to navigate the web and find information relevant to running an Indigenous tourism business.
Indigenous Tourism Australia also produces a free quarterly e-newsletter, Talk Blak, which includes:
The website is currently being redeveloped to include a significant media, trade and consumer focus. It is hoped the new site, to be launched in early 2009, will inspire trade and media with features on Indigenous stories, music and art, and will link these aspects of culture back to the regions from which they originate. The new site will also provide tourism information on these regions to motivate consumers to visit.
This website is well worth a look if you know of operators wishing to begin, grow or improve an Indigenous tourism venture. By subscribing to the newsletter you can also find out about marketing opportunities to be offered in conjunction with the new trade and consumer website. To subscribe follow this link.
The website address is www.indigenoustourism.australia.com
The 2008 Australian Regional Tourism Convention was a resounding success!
The results are in. Australian Regional Tourism Convention delegates thought the Barossa Convention was the best yet. The 2008 program included more interactive workshops and forums as a result of previous delegate feedback, but also maintained plenary sessions and best practice case studies which were a big hit. Visit the Convention website for a full wrap up.
News from the ARTRC
The following is a quick overview of some of the latest news and current research projects being undertaken by the Australian Regional Tourism Research Centre. NOTE: All these links will open in a new window.
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