Sapphire Coast Tourism (SCT) Update October 2016

This newsletter looks at some of the big things going on for our destination. As always we encourage industry contributions, questions etc. You will find us on 6495 7031 or email.
If you have an idea or see an opportunity for your business, then please let us know.

This update includes:
* Unspoilt campaign update
* Industry development initiatives
* Singapore and Malaysia sales mission
* Augmented reality to sell coast in Canberra
* Trip advisor recognises Sapphire Coast
* Digital update
* Famils draw eyeballs our way
* User generated content adds depth to website
* Advertising opportunities
* Cruise update
* South Coast Tourism awards finalists
* Webinars to help with Australian Tourism Data Warehouse
* Visitor monitor latest

Sapphire Coast Whale watching campaign is currently featuring across digital channels in key markets.

Unspoilt South Coast campaign

Sapphire Coast's partnership in the 'Unspoilt' South Coast campaign continues to go from strength to strength and has so far delivered over 85,324 visits to Sapphire Coast related pages on visitnsw.com and 19,305 leads to Sapphire Coast tourism operators. Preparations are already underway for the 2017 campaign.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

There are a number of ways that industry operators can still get involved with the ‘unspoilt’ campaign.

Engage with DNSW social media channels

1 In August 2016, #NewSouthWales reached approximately 11 million people globally. DNSW currently has 28 active social media channels and consistently achieves above average engagement on these channels.
Click here for DNSW’s Social Media Guidelines

2 Send information about products, events & experiences to promote in publicity activities.
DNSW is constantly looking for things that the media might find new, interesting or on trend at the moment. Send any tips or ideas to sapphirecoasttourism@sapphirecoast.com.au

3 Update your product listing on Get Connected
Click here for further details about Get Connected and how the NSW tourism industry can get a free listing

4 Request an ‘unspoilt’ digital banner for your website
DNSW can provide a display banner to place on your website; this will let consumers know you’re a part of the ‘unspoilt’ campaign and allow them to find more information about your local South Coast region by linking back to the campaign pages on visitnsw.com. The banner will feature your local area. Email sapphirecoasttourism@sapphirecoast.com.au for your banner.

Industry development update

ONE-ON-ONE OPEN DAYS A GREAT SUCCESS

Sapphire Coast Tourism recently met with over 35 tourism operators in one-on-one meetings to discuss opportunities and share personalised business advice in 30 minute appointments.

The three focus areas were:
1. Facebook for tourism operators
2. International distribution
3. Product development and marketing

More 'one on one' appointments are planned for early December so interested tourism operators should email sapphirecoasttourism@sapphirecoast.com.au registering interest.

AUSTRALIAN TOURISM EXCHANGE COUNCIL (ATEC) WORKSHOPS

As part of our international development program SCT attended an ATEC workshop in Sydney to showcase Sapphire Coast operators to inbound tour operators (ITOs) . Speed dating format meetings were held with 12 Inbound Tour Operators with information on both the destination and operators shared.

2016 MEETING PLACE ATTENDANCE

In late November SCT will be participating at ATEC ''Meeting Place'', a two-day tourism event comprising commercial B2B workshops featuring a broad range of tourism buyers representing Australia’s key international markets.

As part of the program Eurobodalla and Sapphire Coast will be hosting up to 20 of the 'Meeting Place' delegates as part a famil program.

INDUSTRY AUDIT PROJECT

Sapphire Coast Tourism has been working closely with accommodation and experience providers across the region to increase international and domestic inbound distribution opportunities.

As part of this project we have engaged consultant 'Distinctly Travel Management' (DTM) to conduct an audit of our industry capability and capacity.

We would appreciate industry support by completing a simple and confidential questionnaire.

Click here to download the 'industry audit' questionnaire

Second sales mission to Singapore a hit

SCT has just returned from a second Visit Canberra and region sales mission to Singapore, adding Malaysia to the itinerary this time.

The five day mission included one on one meetings with over 50 key distribution partners as well as industry trade expos and travel and lifestyle media briefings.

SCT were joined by Brett Weingarth of Magical Oyster Tours who thrilled the local industry with Oyster shucking demonstrations and tastings.

Ian Hill, executive director of Visit Canberra said, ''It's fundamental that we are in market now to ensure we grow the value of the visitor economy to the ACT and Southern NSW. We are a new and exciting destination to consumers in SE Asia and feedback from offshore partners has been very positive. Having the Sapphire Coast as part of a Canberra and region experience adds great appeal. Singapore visitors are repeat visitors to Australia and on the lookout for something new and Sapphire Coast most definitely delivers that. Positioning the destination and experiences as part of the Canberra story is a great strategy. The region is seeing Singapore bookings locally already, so the signs are good''.

SCT continues to prosper from a strong partnership with Visit Canberra and Eurobodalla Tourism. A new touring route encouraging international visitors to our coast will be part of the Visit Canberra sales pitch to the Singapore market.

Augmented reality whale watching piece to feature at Canberra Airport

Sapphire Coast will be using cutting edge technology at Canberra Airport as part of a 'Canberra's Coast' campaign in partnership with Eurobodalla Tourism. Airport users will be able to immerse themselves into a 3d humpback whale watching scene and record the experience to their smart phone.
#canberrascoast

Trip Advisor acknowledges Sapphire Coast as destination

Trip Advisor now recognises Sapphire Coast as a destination, finally completing what was a missing link in search and exposure of the Sapphire Coast name.

Inclusion will now mean many potential visitors will access Sapphire Coast via trip advisor with its powerful search capability. And improve association of the Sapphire Coast name with key towns and experiences.

Operator listings in Bega Valley postcodes will be aggregated in the Sapphire Coast pages as well as the appropriate towns.

Digital update

Whales Our 2016 whale content has seen a 86% rise in page views YOY, with paid reach into Canberra and Melbourne (and Sydney via Unspoilt). Local produce & our market calendar, accommodation and pet-friendly holidays make up the top 5 content for the Sapphire Coast Website.

Instagram has become a more powerful marketing tool following recent changes to insights at a 'page' and post level, and better sharing capabilities.

Users can now get deeper insights through impressions, reach, profile views, website clicks and followers (including demographics and when they are online)

Users can also promote posts directly from the Instagram app, with calls to action to direct people to visit your website or your business. More information on advertising on Instagram.

Facebook highlights
Merimbula Lake Video – best organic 63.6k Reach
23.5k video views
2.6k reactions comments & shares
10% engagement rate
We’ve seen a 60% increase in video views in 2016, from 72k (most of that from our 3 minute film) to 116k.

Big media successes

Travel & Beyond

Canberra Times, Traveller: On the Arts Trail in Tathra.

Gourmet Traveller:
12 months, 20 destinations

FAMIL: Whale Watching 4 ways

Two famils, one big weekend! Authentic whale watching experiences are being delivered to our Canberra audience thanks to a successful and busy famil with Canberra based bloggers Rosemarie and Joseph from Travel & Beyond, and Canberra Weekly founding editor Julie Samaras.

‘Whale Watching 4 ways’ famil included whale watching trips in Eden, Merimbula and Bermagui, along with shore based whale watching from Short Point, Merimbula and Wajurda Point in Mimosa Rocks National Park.

Rosemarie and Joseph were very active on social media, and had such a good time they are writing four blogs, instead of the one we originally agreed upon.

With Singaporeans making up 37% of their total readership, the famil has also positioned us well for a push via this channel into Singapore in early 2017.

Travel & Beyond has 16k monthly page views, with 4300+ unique visitors. Their strongest social media channel is Twitter (7k+ followers), with 5k on Facebook and 2.6k on Instagram.

Canberra Weekly has 96k readers, with a print run of 42k+ copies, distributed to 850 locations across Canberra and Queanbeyan. Founding editor Julie Samaras is planning to visit again this season for more whale watching.

In all, 8 operators generously contributed to the famil.

FAMIL: On the Arts Trail

In June, Sally Pryor’s (Canberra Times Art Editor) account of her visit for the opening of the Shirley Hannan National Portrait award had a potential audience of around 12 million after being published on the Traveller and syndicated across Border Times, Canberra Times and Sydney Morning Herald. Online and press.

User generated content (UGC) adds authentic visitor experiences

Fans can now tell their stories on our homepage, local produce landing page, and our whales landing page, giving online visitors an authentic demonstration of Sapphire Coast experiences.

Tag Instagram posts with #sapphirecoast to share your content.

Free Spirit Airlines are leveraging the Sapphire Coast website to promote their flights

Advertising opportunities on Sapphire Coast Website

Sapphire Coast businesses now have access to a number of great benefits to help promote themselves via the Sapphire Coast Tourism website.

With peak season just around the corner your business could be showcased on the region’s most visited website.

Nearly 150,000 online users visited last year, creating over 500,000 page views.

Discover how local organisations such as Free Spirit Airlines are reaping the benefits of their online advertising campaigns, receiving thousands of trackable, online user impressions each month.

Sapphire Coast Tourism has partnered the Destination Travel Network to manage site advertising, banner production and reporting.

Contact advertising@DTNads.com to get involved!

Cruise update

Famil - Crystal Cruises – Edie Rodriguez (CEO & President)

Cruise Eden recently hosted premium cruise line 'Crystal Cruises' for Eden area experiences. Experiences included Magical Oyster Tours, Scenic Flights, Dinners at Wheelers, Killer Whale Trail tour and a visit to Potoroo palace.

Ground handlers (ITO) Intercruises & Abercombie Kent

Royal Caribbean, Oceania Cruises and Carnival Cruise Lines' appointed ground handlers visited for a whirlwind 2 day tour of Eden and Sapphire Coast with experiences including a dinner presentation from local tour operators.

Cruise Conferences

Cruise Eden presented to the Australian Cruise Industry at the Australian Cruise Association conference and CLIA conference in Sydney. Other activities included a sponsored afternoon tea and a display of the Wharf Extension project plans. Eden continues to be highlighted by the industry as a positive example of a cruise destination investing smartly in the opportunity.

Training & Recruitment
Training & Recruitment for tour guides is near completion with 36 applicants attending training. The training should deliver at least 12 new guides and 10 Meet & Greet volunteers

Congratulations and good luck to our South Coast Tourism awards finalists!

Adventure Kiah Wilderness Tours - Coastlife Adventures
Ecotourism Kiah Wilderness Tours
Small business Kiah Wilderness Tours
Self contained Accommodation Tathra Beach House
Heritage & Cultural Tourism Eden Killer Whale Museum - Montreal Goldfields
Executive Accommodation Best Western Fairway Motor Inn
New Tourism Product On the Perch
Caravan Parks South Coast Holiday Park Bermagui - Tathra Beachside
Festivals & Events Cobargo Folk Festival - Nethercote Produce Markets
Promotion & Marketing Tathra Beachside
Family Friendly Tathra Beachside
Tourism Cafes Sprout Eden
Budget/Backpacker Sapphire Waters Motor Inn
Visitor Services Merimbula Visitor Centre
Sustainability On the Perch Tathra

DNSW Webinars to watch at your leisure

These recent webinars will assist you with your visitnsw listing
* Understand the relationship between Get Connected, ATDW and ATDW Online
* Learn where your product listing is featured
* Understand how to create, edit and maintain your listing.
View here

Visitors numbers monitor

These Visitor number insights are custom extracted from Tourism Australia's International and National visitor surveys, independently by Peter Valerio Tourism Development Services

▪ The estimated domestic overnight visitor volume of 537,000 is the 4th consecutive estimate greater than 500,000. This is the first time this has happened in the Monitor time series. The latest estimate is also the highest year end March volume in the Monitor time period. It is the third consecutive positive change.
▪ Visitor nights volume of 2.4m (rounded) further extends the run of above average domestic nights volume. It is the 4th consecutive period-on-period positive percentage change. Whilst not quite large enough to be considered statistically significant it is the third consecutive double digit change. In summary, the Sapphire Coast domestic nights result was positive on all measures: volume, percentage change and both market share shift.
▪ The International overnight visitor estimate of 27,300 is the highest estimate in the Monitor. The percentage change compared to the same period last was positive, but despite the size of the percentage change it cannot be considered statistically significant. The fact that the latest figure is the third consecutive percentage change suggests that it an increase did occur.
▪ The International overnight visitor nights estimate for the latest period was 188,000. This is similar to the previous two periods and clearly well above the average volume. The latest estimate appears to be a an extension of an increasing trend as opposed to an estimate overly affected by sample error.

Sapphire Coast Tourism Ltd
PO Box 89 Merimbula 2549
02 6495 7031

Executive Officer
Anthony Osborne
aosborne@sapphirecoast.com.au

Digital and Publicity Co-ordinator
Sarah Chenhall
schenhall@sapphirecoast.com.au

Industry Coordinator and Cruise Manager
Natalie Godward
cruise@sapphirecoast.com.au