Mollymook motelier Matthew Forbes hopes his role on the Shoalhaven Tourism Advisory Group will help boost visitor numbers in the region.
The owner of Mollymook Surfbeach Motel, Matt joins the re-appointed Annie Cochrane from Bannisters, as the two southern industry representatives in the group aimed at liaising with councillors and council staff about tourism issues.
Matt said he was excited to be involved in the organisation and to have a greater voice in the tourism industry.
“I’m very interested in tourism and would like to see more events in our region of the Shoalhaven,” he said.
“I’m keen to help find events that will bring people to our region during the winter months and to promote our natural attractions, such as bushwalking.”
Matt said he was pleased to be a “voice for the Milton-Ulladulla area” when it comes to tourism.
“People can come to me with their ideas or events and I can take i to the group,” he said.
Matt is a member of Milton-Ulladulla Apex and has been involved with ArtFest, the Ulladullairious Comedy festival and the Blessing of the Fleet beach games.
He attended his first meeting of the group on Tuesday night in Nowra.
The Tourism Advisory Group makes recommendations to council on matters relating to tourism, the development of tourism and the future of tourism in the Shoalhaven.
It promotes the direct and in-direct value and benefits of tourism within the Shoalhaven and on a regional, state and national basis and makes recommendations on the expenditure of the annual Shoalhaven marketing budget.
The group is currently working on a digital marketing strategy aimed at Sydney Wollongong and Canberra residents.
The next digital advertising campaign will focus on high quality video, rolled out from late April for 10 weeks and will be based around 10 videos with a food and wine focus.
Produced in partnership with Bannisters and international celebrity chef Rick Stein, the videos feature the southern Shoalhaven’s food and wine offerings.
Highlights of the footage include lobster catching in Bawley Point, Lucky’s Seafood, Pam Burridge Surf School, Entity Board Shaper in Culburra and Hyper Hyper in Nowra.
Another winter ‘moving vehicle’ campaign will be rolled out from May 31, with five new hero images taken throughout the Shoalhaven to feature on moving vehicles, mainly buses, in Sydney and Canberra.
The experiences the campaign visuals focus on include inland touring at Kangaroo Valley, food and wine at Cupitt’s, Surfing at Manyana, pets on holiday at Shoalhaven Heads and rock-climbing at Greenfield Beach.
