Tourism Signage - a forgotten asset

I have been fortunate in being asked recently to undertake tourism signage audits. This has enabled me to get out and visit some really interesting parts of the state. Tourism signage does not seem to be a priority for either Tourism WA or Main Roads these days so the responsibility for audits and maintenance comes back to local government. Directional tourism signage is important in moving visitors around an area. Unfortunately what tends to happen is that new signage is added, old signage is not removed and the end result is confusion.

One example is the Sunset Coast Tourist Drive which is designated as a State Tourist Drive. Follow the signs and you land up in a residential estate in Mullaloo.

Down south in a major tourist area I came across a road junction with 35 signs made up of green, brown and blue. Now if thats not distracting for the driver I dont know what is and nobody is going to read 35 signs. 

Information boards on the outskirts of towns are a typical example of signs that very quickly go out of date or are not maintained. I have seen boards that are so dilapidated that they are blank and boards that advertise businesses that have long since ceased to exist.

Signs are a very visible reflection of your area and can make an immediate positive or negative impact on visitors to the point where they decide whether to spend some time in your area or move on. Local Governments need to address signage with the first step being to undertake an audit of what is there and identify what changes are required.

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Planning Bulletin 83/2011 - Do you have planning precincts?

The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) issued Planning Bulletin 83/2011 in July 2011 which sets out the policy position of WAPC to guide decision making for subdivision and scheme amendment proposals for tourism purposes.

The bulletin covers an array of tourism related planning matters including:

• The requirement for tourism precincts;
• The identification of tourism sites and their strategic value;
• Site specific criteria to determine the tourism value of the site;Residential development within tourism sites; and
• Length of stay provisions for tourist accommodation

For further information go to

http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/dop_pub_pdf/Planning_Bulletin83.pdf

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Grant applications take time

I have completed a number of grant applications for clients over the past year and they seem to become more and more complex requiring more detailed information than ever before. Most of the larger applications now require a business case to be developed which must be supported by a considerable amount of detailed information. It never ceases to amaze me how many organisations leave it until the grants are announced and the closing date given before asking somebody to put the whole thing together. By then it is usually too late.

If it is an annual grant then you should be thinking about starting the application process a good six months before the expected closing date. Usually the guidelines for the grant will be similar to the previous year and close off dates are fairly predictable.

I would estimate the close off dates for the following grants to be:

Country Local Government Fund - end December 2011

Regional Development Australia Fund- mid December 2011

TQUAL - Mid April 2012

Any organisation considering an application for the above grants should seriously consider starting their application process now.

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Creating a destination

What makes a destination? Does it have to be a certain size or contain certain features?

I was recently approached by the Fremantle West End traders about coordinating their activities. This is a classic case of having a number of businesses from a specific geographical location who are really enthusiastic and know that by working together and promoting their area as a destination they can achieve far more than as individuals. They came up against the usual problem that their first priority is the day to day operation of their business so they could only devote limited time to their collective effort.

Having a point of contact and somebody who can speak on their behalf, even if that person is only working for them for a few hours a week, is crucial to moving their efforts to the next level.

I look forward to working with them and helping to create Fremantle's West End as the place to be.

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Rockingham moving forward

Kirkgate was recently awarded two contracts for the City of Rockingham. The first was to undertake a feasibility study on establishing a major annual event and the second was to develop a tourism strategy for the city. These contracts reflect Kirkgate's strategy of bringing together specific expertise to suit each contract. In this case Eddie Watling and Terry Penn of Tourism Coordinates have been recruited to add a special dimension to the projects.

These are exciting projects and show a commitment by the City of Rockinham to look at tourism and events and invest in a strategy which will attract visitors in greater numbers back to Rockingham. Rockingham has gone from being a tourist destination for Perth residents to being a part of the metropolitan area and needs to adapt its approach to tourism to take this into account. It is expected that the new tourism strategy will be presented to Council in March 2012.

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Tourism Awards

The judging for the Tourism Awards has now been completed and finalists have been announced. This year was particularly interesting in that there was a new category for local government. Having spent a number of years in local government it was no surprise to me to see the high quality of submissions and the wide range of activities.

Local government contributes an enormous amount to toursim through various activities including

• visitor servicing
• events
• destination marketing
• planning contrils and guidelines
• signage

Which ever local government wins the category will be a shining example of the general commitment of local government to tourism. 

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