An influx of visitors to Milton and Ulladulla at the October long-weekend, has set the stage for a bumper season, but Shoalhaven's tourism director, Coralie Bell, is more excited by changing trends.
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Off-season marketing and campaigns aimed at a new type of tourist is keeping Shoalhaven's tourism manager Coralie Bell busy.
For Ms Bell, the focus has been on good wine, great food and pristine beaches. And it's paid off.
“What's exciting is that the peak has started now and it will just keep going,”she said.
Confident in the area's popularity for families in the summer months, Ms Bell and her team concentrate their efforts on marketing the "shoulder” or off-peak seasons.
“Shoalhaven (Council) increased the tourism budget so we have a lot more resources now including a full-time marketer,” she said,
This boost in resources includes a $1.5 million State Government investment in the area's Unspoilt campaign, since 2014.
South Coast MP Shelley Hancock said: “Right now nine of Australia’s top social media influencers, secured by the State’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, are travelling the South Coast, sharing images of the region to an audience of 2.5 million people.”
Ms Bell didn't have any stats to hand but said that anecdotally tourism across the region is up and the forecast is for a busy peak season.
“What we are seeing now is a different type of visitor, not just families. The families still come but so do the couple seeking out the region’s food and wine venues. It’s been a slow turning point but we are seeing consistent change,” she said.
Summer tourism has never been a problem, Ms Bell says, and the region is holding its reputation as a popular destination for Sydney families.
“But what's new is the increasing traffic from Canberra, which is only 2 hours from Jarvis Bay,” she said.
“We are still a popular drive from Sydney and that will never change but now we are seeing a growing international market as well. People travelling to Australia have seen the big cities and now they’re hiring a car and checking out the coast. So there are a lot more people from Europe – England, Germany and France. Also the United States. It’s a growing area for the shoulder seasons.”
The Tourism Research Australia International Visitor Survey shows a 30.5 per cent increase in the number of international visitors to the South Coast region in the year ending June 2017 compared to the same period in 2016.
South Coast MP Shelley Hancock said: “In the year ending June 2017 we welcomed a total of 174,400 international visitors to the South Coast. Those visitors stayed a total of 2.8 million nights in the region, which is also part of an upward trend with an increase of 19.4% on the number of nights stayed last year.”
According to Mrs Hancock those visitors spent a record $272.3 million in the region.
Meanwhile Ms Bell says the 100 Beach Challenge is taking tourists and locals out of their comfort zone.
“It's just ramping up now,” she said. “The idea is to get people to see more of the coastline than the same beach every time.”
And for tips to keep our tourists happy Ms Bell said: “I think customer service and to remember that our neighbours aren’t our competition. It’s all about community.”
