We’ve just had one successful networking get-together hosted by Fleurieu Food and ourselves. Now we’ve another coming up in swift succession.
Our chairperson Ros Miller went up to Premier Steven Marshall, our new Tourism Minister, after he spoke to the tourism industry at a forum a few weeks ago. She asked him if he’d speak at one of these events – and he said yes! We’ve got a date – 31 March at 5.30pm at Red Poles in McLaren Vale. The invitation to everyone on our email list will go out in a few days. We anticipate that this will be a particularly well-attended gathering and there might be a limit on numbers. Take note! The Premier has shown a lot of interest in meeting the industry. He met Ros Miller at his own request some weeks ago and is meeting other chairs of regional tourism organisations. This will be a great opportunity to hear from him in our own local context and at a time when he’s soaking it all up as a new minister.
This Week's Networking Event
There were around 70 tourism operators and Fleurieu Food members at this week's joint gathering at the McLaren Vale Hotel. Which incidentally provided some pretty yummy and unusual finger food – a good indicator that the restaurant there might be worth a visit.
Brent Hill, SATC’s head of marketing, spoke and the key message is that the Commission will indeed be ramping up its marketing of all regions in the time ahead. The focus will be on a strong winter campaign and Brent polled us on the kind of approach to take with the campaign. Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism is well set up here as we ran an Embrace the Brisk campaign last year. I’ve flagged to SATC that we’d like to work in closely with their major campaigning and we’ve got a planning session pencilled in for some time in the next fortnight.
I enjoyed Brent’s talk and Q&A and likewise was inspired by Karena Armstrong from the Salopian Inn. She spoke amongst other things of her pride in the region’s food produce and the commitment to sustainability which she shares with so many others in the industry. Keep your eye on that theme of sustainability. It’s going to get bigger in how we respond to the challenges of climate change and the changing attitudes of the people who come to visit us.
Heritage Tourism in Alexandrina
This is a plug for me, as it happens! Alexandrina Council has asked me to speak at a forum on heritage tourism. See the details here.
For those who don’t know me, I spent 20 years working for the History Trust of SA before moving to the SATC in 2000. I’ve had a fair bit to do with the heritage tourism sector over the decades. Do I have magic answers to all the challenges? Nup! But feel free to join me on the night.
Best wishes to you.
Cheers,
Peter Cahalan
Manager, Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism
