This week, if we had not realised it, the prospect of eased restrictions advised by the Premier and CMO’s are with us. The net result of all this for Victorian tourism reliant businesses, and especially in the south east, is the loss of a full year’s income generation, from the commercial damage caused by a succession of disasters Drought, Fires, and CoVid19.
Further, the ongoing prospects of Coronavirus(es) epidemics into the future are real. This is predicted, containment has missed the mark, recovery strategies have missed the targets. Doubling what we are told to expect, gets us to 3-5 years and the establishment of the “new normal” which will be very different to the past!
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| Hibernation |
When can we in East Gippsland come out of hibernation? How good will it be?
Facing reality is hard and probably not best done alone; unless as an entrepreneur you have the absolute answer. As small business people we value the independence we have won through acceptance of risk and a very large dose of hard work, in equal proportions.
Our financial commitment alone ensures we will fight to preserve the business. Many have cast off the shackles of a former life on the treadmills of large companies with protocols that hampered independent thought and action. Time to rekindle those innovative invigorating thoughts.
Being optimistic is all well and good, but the reality is, that none of our current Accommodation /Hospitality and Tourism businesses will come through this unchanged. Some, possibly many will not even survive at all, and very few who fail to dramatically change will ever make a sustainable recovery.
Any improvement will be considered a win.
Local tourism businesses were built and benefitted on demand from individuals and families of the post-world war industrial era, residing in Melbourne and the Latrobe Valley. There are few survivors of that generation, but their families/descendants continued to follow their footsteps here. These were people wanting a break from the repetitious day to day activities and utilising the time provided by paid holidays and annual shutdowns.
The local has ceased to be the driver for 20 years or more, replaced and boosted by migrants and tourists from both Asia and worldwide. These visitor groups are not expected to continue in the short term today, and possibly into the foreseeable future. Overseas holidays are, and will be, more affordable and once back in vogue will likely be popular, enticing visitors away from spending their hard-won dollars in Oz! This is our chance to convince them otherwise by offering and delivering an experience now and repeatable in the future.
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| Plenty to Offer |
We must identify and target our market:
We can no longer depend on these traditional “worker” markets. How do we attract sufficient visitor numbers to the region against the fierce domestic competition from the other towns, States and territories? We can no longer rest on our laurels saying our natural attractions are enough, clearly these are not enough. Whoever or from wherever, the visitor, we need to strive to provide the best experience every time.
The natural environmental attraction is a primary feature around which we need to wrap the experience by means of food, accommodation, hospitality, activities and entertainment. We need to encourage and attract year-round events leading our visitors on a journey of enjoyment and relaxation all delivered to our own pre-determined and maintained community standard.
Businesses provide jobs and provide for the local economy.
To achieve this each business supplying the visitor needs to deliver value and service so that all visitors leave with an experience that has matched and often exceeded their expectations. Many will be first time visitors, they will sell our product on social media and by word of mouth.
Comprehensive surveying of the visitors by businesses is essential to determine how product and staff are performing, identifying any changes that are required to maximise sales (and profits). A well- prepared targeted customer conversation delivered in such a way showing concern etc that the customers hardly recognises they are actually being surveyed will achieve this aim.
Key information, where they are from, how long they are here, what are the influences which brought them here? their likes and dislikes, what food do they enjoy, where did they eat, which activities did they enjoy, will they make a return visit and will they recommend to others etc.
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| Visitors are Influencers |
We need influencers.
In the new world developing, we need to operate as independent units within an overall community plan to draw a new type of domestic visitor to our area feeding into, and reflecting, the new economy as it evolves. Critical in this is to recognise that today’s visitors are diverse, well-educated and expect value/experiences from their hard-earned dollars to influence others.
Advertising media is already talking of the local market being driven by ‘experiences’ for the majority of tourists on reduced and fixed budgets. We need to develop that theme by promoting and marketing the Gippsland Lakes experience for example in the form of packages, targeted markets and locations, pastimes, events, sports, etc. Approaching this by the use of prepaid holiday packages, involving vouchers for accommodation, food and entertainment, accepted at all local businesses would be good, but requires an agreed and concerted strategy by the business owners. The regional lead tourism organisations seem to be taking a wait and see attitude, keeping their powder dry and budgets intact.
In the longer term.
Looking to the future, and the ability to maintain our local businesses, the jobs they provide, and the services we all enjoy all year round, we need to provide new and innovative experiences which will draw visitors to our region against any other. We must promote the best of what we have to offer, we must market our unique experiences, and we must maintain a level of service second to none.
The business community is responsible for developing and nurturing the tourism product. Government and government organisations can and do fund public infrastructure but operators and their products are attached to that framework providing the total visitor experience. If we wait for leadership, inspiration or imagination from government we may be left waiting.
Local business needs to facilitate the provision of a coordinated visitor experience and pressure government at all levels for their essential support in the provision of suitable improvements and features to our township.
It is all well and good to upgrade infrastructure, yes walking trails, cycle tracks and the like have their place after the visitors get here, not so good without visitors! Do they provide jobs, do they attract greater visitation, do we know or even bother to find out?
We must look to create and support new infrastructure which provides a “Wow” factor, a “Must See” mentality an opportunity for the business world to work hand in hand with the public sector.
For example, a Conference Centre able to seat/accommodate say 500, leased to a commercial operator, would draw a year-round conference market and the accommodation/hospitality to match. Likewise, a unique and unusual, World Class attraction would draw visitation to Lakes Entrance.
The ability to educate our visitor to the history, heritage, wildlife and beauty of our region all have their place in the pantheon of attractions and have done well elsewhere providing huge economic benefits. Many towns are ahead of us - Lakes Entrance has to catch up to survive. Consider the experiences of Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo, Swan Hill, Echuca, even Bright as examples from which we can learn.
This is the time for decisive action.
We need to review a range of recovery situations to allow us to react quickly/immediately to any situation that evolves. If not, when the change occurs, we will be caught flat footed and lose out to what is required to draw our potential visitors from that emerging market.
The time is NOW.
Recognising the diversity of visitor requirements and creating “product” to satisfy those needs is also essential. We also know well from our experience that we cannot continue to wait for government leadership, which has been limited, lacking, and often ineffective or insipid in the past. Local business needs to facilitate the provision of a coordinated visitor experience, and pressure the government for support at all levels.
Lakes Entrance needs to step up, to provide the ideas, the products and work each and every day to secure government support to provide the required economic framework supporting private investment and economic encouragement.
Failing to plan ensures planning to fail,
Lakes Entrance needs a plan.
Watch this space:
Authors; BID Inc: Photos Copyright John Munns: BID Inc; Email - bidicom20@gmail.com
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