EUROBODALLA Shire Council will consider if it should seek expressions of interest to manage the visitor information centres in Narooma and Batemans Bay at next Tuesday’s council meeting.
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The report recommends that an expression of interest could be the first step in finding out if there are not for profit incorporated organisations, businesses, or individuals interested in running the centres.
It follows extensive community engagement on a proposal put forward in March that aimed to improve the way council’s visitor services met the changing needs and behaviour of visitors, a council spokesperson said.
The proposal was also presented as a way that council could respond to independent advice that recommended allocating a greater proportion of the existing tourism budget to the web and digital environment, and to fund priorities in its Tourism Destination Management Plan.
The report to council sets out issues raised during the community engagement and how these could be addressed in an expression of interest. Feedback from more than 80 per cent of local residents who made submissions was that they want physical visitor information centres in Eurobodalla to remain.
Council’s executive manager communication and tourism, Catherine Reilly, said that many visitor centres across Australia were managed by organisations other than councils or in partnership with councils.
“A change in the way the centres are managed would not have any impact our customers’ experience,” she said.
“If council decides to seek expressions of interest it would be a requirement that the centres continue to be accredited and meet industry standards as they do now.
“Tourism is an important industry in Eurobodalla. Visitor centres, local businesses and the community all contribute to its success by distributing information about experiences that can increase the length of time people holiday in Eurobodalla and how much they spend while here.
“Alongside this, council invests in marketing activities to attract people here from Sydney, Canberra, regional NSW and internationally by raising awareness of the many experiences on offer in their pre-holiday planning phase.”
The council report is in the agenda for the September 8 meeting and can be found on council’s website at www.esc.nsw.gov.au
