How many strategies are gathering dust on your shelf?!
As we look back on the great projects we've had the privilege to work on across regional Australia this past year we couldn’t help but reflect on our clients' successes in activating their strategies.
We love working on projects when our clients are excited and raring to implement what we co create with them!
This got us wondering…
Are your tourism plans - such as your Destination Management Plan, Regional Events Strategy, or Visitor Servicing Strategy - living documents that guide what you work on, or have they been kind of forgotten as time passed since they were developed?
Do you have a practical activation plan that your team uses to deliver outcomes and work towards a vision and aspirations for your destination?
And are your plans still relevant for changing trends and consumer needs?
A lot of time and money goes into creating strategies, so it’s essential a strategy is achievable, practical to implement, and outcomes are easy to measure!
When a client engages us to deliver a strategic plan, we emphasise the activation element, based on an understanding of the resourcing capacity available to successfully achieve outcomes. Too many times we have seen highly aspirational strategic plans that are out of reach for the destination - these are the kinds of plans that make superb dust collectors.
As you prepare for any strategic planning you might undertake next year, please consider our advice to include a strong focus on activation in your brief. Question consultants on how they will ensure the strategy can - and will - be activated. Consider your ongoing budget and staffing capacity to activate the plan over the coming years, and be focused on activation and outcomes to drive results.
CASE STUDY: CENTRAL QUEENSLAND HIGHLANDS
The Visitor Economy Strategy we developed for Central Queensland Highlands is a great example of a strategy that was practical to implement and was fully activated over its three year lifetime.
Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC) sought help to prioritise the many opportunities available to increase overnight visitation to Emerald and surrounds, and to understand how to most effectively use their limited human resources to achieve increased visitor expenditure and reduced seasonality.
The tourism and events activation plan we developed took a focused approach, outlining just a few achievable priority projects.
CHDC developed
A new destination name and tourism brand story: Central Queensland Highlands, Explore More
A new events platform: What’s On Central Queensland Highlands, which helps event organisers to plan, collaborate and cross-promote to encourage event visitors to stay longer in the region
A Working Holidays campaign to attract seasonal workers
A revamped Visitor Guide and Touring Map which are packed with itineraries and experiences
Feasibility report for a Recreational Vehicle and Camping Options and Opportunities Strategy
Not long afterwards, the Central Queensland Highlands Visitor Information Centre welcomed a record number of visitors.