 | | Sapphire Coast - Tourism News: August 2018 | Dear Sapphire Coast Tourism Industry and Stakeholders, Whilst many of you have already been notified, a quick reminder that destination management services for Sapphire Coast, delivered on behalf of Bega Valley Shire Council, changed on July 1. Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing (SCDM) commenced a four year contract delivering tourism services to the Bega Valley Shire Council. SCDM is thrilled with the opportunity to work closely with Sapphire Coast industry and partners to help build our visitor economy. And work is well underway... Amanda Heather has joined me in the role of Tourism Officer, immediately doubling the size of the team and support for industry! For visitors there will be no disruption or change in destination marketing assets with websites, domain names, brand names, social media channels, collateral etc being transitioned for management by SCDM under the new contract. Please note the new contact details at the base of this email. In this Newsletter...
* Register for our September 6 networking event
* Unspoilt South Coast Update
* Keeping up the digital momentum
* News from DNSW
* Reboot Bermagui shaping up
* $8 million for Light to Light
And more Cheers,
Anthony Osborne
Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing | Industry networking event - Register NOW Join the Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing team and industry colleagues to network, build business partnerships and hear from operators about the latest and greatest tourism experiences. Thursday September 6 Wharf Restaurant Merimbula The evening will include short presentations from the following tourism partners.
* NSW NP Light to Light $8m investment update
* Cruise Eden update
* Longstocking Brewery (new owners and exciting changes)
* Cat Balou Eden (meet with new owners)
* Four Winds
And more to be announced soon REGISTER NOW HERE! Food and beverage will be available for purchase on the night | 'Unspoilt South Coast' campaign generates 7000 leads in July Our South Coast marketing colllaboration 'Unspoilt' continues at full swing with early data showing over 7000 leads, in July alone, created for Sapphire Coast businesses registered on visitnsw.com To make the most of leads from the Unspoilt Campaign don't forget to GET CONNECTED with visitnsw. DNSW has prepared a handy operator toolkit which can be downloaded here. As part of this years campaign we saw Destination NSW and production company 'We Are Explorers' visit for a two-day film shoot. The end result will be 90 & 15 sec clips promoting Sapphire Coast and a hero Unspoilt South Coast piece. The project will also generate a host of film and still photography to add to our content library. Unspoilt also delivers a consistent flow of media exposure with recent visits from Better Homes & Gardens and Fairfax Media with Channel Nine's Postcards visiting soon. |  this shot from @oceanspray_photography helped create a conversation with a 1000 punters in July | Keeping up the digital momentum Through social media, we can highlight the unique unspoilt beauty of the Sapphire Coast, inspire visitors and encourage them to share their experiences. We constantly follow the Sapphire Coast conversation, sharing the best content on our own channels and also with Destination NSW & Tourism Australia who regularly repost our content. Here’s what you can do to amplify the conversation, and help your own community grow. Visit & follow our social media channels
Facebook & Instagram Our Facebook page continues to have strong engagement even given the challenges of Facebook's most recent algorithm change. Last month our content engaged around 8,000 unique users liking clicking or sharing posts.
A new focus on instagram has seen the channel rocket to 8000 followers in July and reach around 40,000 people.
The hashtag #sapphirecoast, which is so widely used now by influencers and visitors, has over 30,000 pieces of content, so keep up the good #sapphirecoast work We’re looking for nature, coastal aquatic, local produce & bookable experiences. The best posts we share on key pages at www.sapphirecoast.com.au, send on to DNSW & Tourism Australia and repost on our social media channels. So don't forget to tag us in your posts
Facebook @sapphirecoastnsw
Instagram @sapphirecoastnsw #sapphirecoast How is your sapphire coast web page listing looking?
Keep it current by sending us any new images, video or products.
http://www.sapphirecoast.com.au/ Grab your free listing with Australian Tourism Data Warehouse and Get Connected
It’s the primary feeder for visitnsw.com (along with other tourism organisations) and is Australia’s largest tourism database and network. Creating a listing for your business is free and only takes about 30 minutes. Tools
Facebook for Business (Ads Manager) allows you to create audiences based on who has engaged with your profile. Once you have a free business account, you can even get help from a real person! Schedule 1 - 2 posts a day through a free program
like Hootsuite More Information from the big guys
Tourism Australia
Destination NSW | $8 Million to build first purpose-built hut to hut walk in a NSW National Park.
Member for Bega, Andrew Constance MP, recently announced the NSW Government will be spending almost $8 million to create a world class walk along the coast of Ben Boyd National Park south of Eden. “This is just fantastic news for the environment, the region and its local economy,” Mr Constance said. “There is so much in this project that is good news for everyone. “The NSW Government’s commitment to this significant investment in regional tourism will create jobs, drive economic growth and bring substantial international tourism to the NSW Sapphire Coast. “The funding will help upgrade existing trails and provide for the first purpose-built hut to hut walk in a NSW National Park. “It will also generate considerable economic activity and jobs. “Once completed the upgraded park should support the equivalent of 23 full time jobs,” Mr Constance said. Funding will be made available under the NSW Regional Growth Environment and Tourism Fund. Head to our website to read the full media release and more. Any tourism operators or investors interested in discussing Light to Light opportunities please make contact with Anthony Osborne from SCDM on the number below | | News from Destination NSW | Latest reports on Food and Wine Tourism
Destination NSW has released new statistics on food and wine tourism, with NSW accounting for 40 per cent of all international visitors who enjoyed a food experience during their trip to Australia. NSW also received nearly 2 million international and domestic overnight and day trip visitors who visited at least one winery. Click here for the food tourism snapshot and here for the wine tourism snapshot. | Destination NSW offers a range of opportunities to assist industry in reaching consumers and trade in key markets in NSW, Australia and overseas. Find out how you can work with Destination NSW to grow the NSW visitor economy. Regardless of the size of your business or budget, Destination NSW can help you promote your product, service or event. The recently launched publication, Partner Opportunities with Destination NSW 2018/19 outlines how to access free of charge business resources, listings on Destination NSW websites, product showcases, publicity opportunities and industry research. It also provides details about how to participate in a range of opportunities such as partner marketing campaigns, visitor publications and event marketing as well as media and travel buyer familiarisation tours. Download the prospectus here. | Register on the 'Meet In Regional NSW' website
If you would like to have your venue listed to allow Destination NSW to promote your venue for regional conferences and business events, visit the Meet in NSW website here. | New Training on offer for NSW Tourism Industry
Tourism businesses across NSW will be offered workshops to help develop promote and sell their products to visitors from across Australia and the world. Minister for Tourism and Major Events, and Assistant Minister for Skills Adam Marshall said the NSW Government is committed to providing tourism businesses with expert advice to ensure they continue to grow. “The NSW First Program offers the NSW tourism industry the tools and knowledge needed to gain a competitive edge, and we’re delighted to announce that this year’s Program has been expanded to include more workshops and more webcasts, which can be accessed by industry 24/7,” Mr Marshall said. “We’ve consulted with our six Destination Networks across the State and heard their ideas for upskilling our tourism businesses and growing the visitor economy in NSW. 32 face-to-face workshops and 11 new on-demand webcasts will be delivered for NSW tourism businesses in 2018-19. Head to DNSW website to read the full media release and for more useful resources. | NSW First Program: On-demand webcasts
Destination NSW designed the NSW First program to assist NSW tourism businesses to develop, promote and sell their tourism products. It includes workshops and online webcasts with a focus on free online and on-demand content, to cater to busy round-the-clock tourism businesses across NSW. Live webcasts offer ‘how-to’ insights on a range of topics for the tourism industry, with more events to be added to the calendar throughout the year. The following is a link to the NSW First Program where you will find information about scheduled events and live webcasts as well as access past webcasts on demand. Read more. | September Flagship Events ReBoot into Spring at Bermagui
Feeling a bit jaded? Need a break? Head to Bermagui‘s beautiful coast for the 5th annual ReBoot in Bermagui on 29th and 30th September. The ReEnergise Program offers Tai Chi, yoga, pilates, boot camp, standup paddle (SUP) boarding, guided bike rides and nature walk and more. Kids can enjoy Tug-o-War, Skate & Scoot comp, hula-hooping, Oops! The Clown and more. At Bermagui Surf Club on Sunday there’s 2 ocean swims and a healthy breakfast served 8am to 11am which is free if you registered for the fun runs, swim, guided paddling and nature walk.
Register NOW and view the full program and follow us on Facebook. | Balnhdhurr - A Lasting Impression - BVRG
Bega Valley Regional Gallery - Now until September 8
In a remote corner of Arnhem Land sits Yirrkala Print Space, where, for over twenty years, the ancient craft of printmaking has not only survived, but prospered. With works from 50 artists, this exhibition includes historically significant prints. The Berndt Etchings series talks about the Berndt Crayon Drawings of Yirrkala, produced by the artists’ predecessors in 1947, while String Figure Prints are a response to another archaeological collection from 1948. This celebratory exhibition is presented by Artback NT in association with Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre.
Visit the BVRG here | GIIYONG FESTIVAL On Saturday 22 September 2018 the Giiyong Festival will take place at Jigamy, just north of Eden. Our region’s first multi art form festival celebrates traditional and contemporary Aboriginal culture through dance, art, music, film, theatre, food, sport, workshops and cultural tours. Some of the most exciting Aboriginal performers in Australia will take the stage at Giiyong Festival, including powerful headline acts No Fixed Address and Baker Boy. The program is being updated daily as more acts are being added to the bill. Entry to the Festival is free! Click here for more info. | Pambula Motorfest - Sunday September 30
See and hear incredible cars, utes and trucks at this popular annual event. Let the kids be entertained by a myriad of events (there’s even a jumping castle for adults) and grab a bite to eat from the local food vendors. More info visit here | 2018 Australian Regional Tourism Convention
Regional tourism practitioners are invited to attend the 2018 Australian Regional Tourism Convention (ARTC) to be held in Tweed, NSW from Tuesday 23rd to Thursday 25th October. The ARTC is a must attend event for regional tourism professionals, where delegates can exchange ideas, and discuss and debate some of the most important issues, challenges and opportunities facing regional tourism. This conference should not be missed by local councils, regional tourism organisations, tourism professionals, business and government personnel who wish to contribute to the future of regional tourism in Australia. Visit ART for more information. | Sydney's cruise challenges bring opportunity for Eden
This 'Cruise Passenger' article captured some of the wharf extension benefits that will flow in to Eden and the Sapphire Coast in coming years. | Must reads and subscribes for industry Keep on top of local tourism and digital marketing with these newsletter subscriptions
Visit NSW insights
Tourism Australia News
Think with Google | Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing
PO Box 463 Pambula 2549
02 8091 4124 Amanda Heather
Tourism Officer
amanda@sapphirecoast.com.au
0407 191 142 Anthony Osborne
Managing Director
aosborne@sapphirecoast.com.au
0428 243 539 | | |
