TENTERFIELD has been tipped as a key player in the move to harness a growing market for regional tourism in NSW.
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Arguably the heritage capital of the state, Tenterfield Shire is the first local government area south of the Queensland border, making it the face of New England High Country tourism for south bound visitors from Queensland and beyond.
“Tenterfield Shire plays a key role in tourism for the region, as we are the first Shire in the state of NSW, bordering Queensland,” Tourism officer Caitlin Reid said.
“Our tourism and marketing strategy has been designed with this in mind to funnel travellers through Tenterfield and into other reaches of the New England region.”
Ms Reid said she is hoping to attend the coming NSW First workshop in Armidale this October alongside tourism operators from across New England and the seven collaborating LGAs at Armidale, Glen Innes, Guyra, Inverell, Uralla, Tenterfield and Walcha that make up New England High Country (NEHC).
“NEHC is a joint initiative of the seven councils and was formed earlier this year,” she said.
“Over winter the group ran a ‘winter moments’ campaign, which included TV advertising in south east QLD, northern NSW, central NSW coast and went as far down as Newcastle.”
The NEHC group joins three other tourism hubs across New England and North West incorporating numerous LGAs working collaboratively to harness the consumer shift towards ‘experience’ tourism.
“I believe we are seeing a shift in consumer demand,” Ms Reid said.
“Visitors are more interested in ‘experiencing’ destinations, rather than just visiting, and they are looking for the stories behind the destinations and attractions.”
- Caitlin Reid, Tourism Officer
As part of the new initiative that commenced with the Community Roadmap Initiative in September last year, Ms Reid said Tenterfield will be looking to capitalise on its built and natural wonders, food and wine, as well as making the best of the Shire as the heritage capital of New South Wales.
“Tenterfield and our surrounding villages have plenty of experiences and stories to offer visitors,” she said.
“This is in alignment with the values of the New England High Country, and while we are still conducting individual marketing activities, these will all be branded ‘New England High Country’, and all major activities will be in partnership with the NEHC group.”
Ms Reid said, while Tenterfield will be aiming to capitalise on seasonal, natural and agri-tourism, collaboration among the NEHC communities is key to the venture’s success.
“Collaboration within communities is the only way we can build a thriving tourism industry,” she said.
“Individually, we all have a great product offering, however collectively, we can really offer visitors a fantastic ‘New England’ experience.
"Through collaboration everyone benefits and we have a real chance to market the New England High Country as a must visit destination.
“The collaboration we have already seen between the seven NEHC councils has been extremely successful, and it allows the smaller communities to be involved in something that we simply do not have the budget or resources to even contemplate doing on our own.”
The NEHC tourism hub is making progress across the region, with communities reporting the market is holding steady and in some areas showing steady growth.
The NSW First workshop will be held in Armidale on Monday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 14 at the Quality Hotel Powerhouse.
