Council showcases Mansfield Station Precinct site to regional tourism body

Last week Council welcomed senior Tourism North East (TNE) representatives for a tour of the future Station Precinct site. The visit was an important opportunity to boost the precinct’s profile and showcase exciting projects to the regional tourism body. TNE Chair Martin Pakula and Chief Executive Officer Bess Nolan-Cook joined Councillors and Council staff on 7 August. The tour touched on all areas of the new precinct, including historic buildings like the Goods Shed, the planned Taungurung Art Trail and future opportunities for food and beverage. The highlight was a sneak peek inside the Mansfield Heritage Museum building, which is set to receive fit-out works starting later this financial year. Council shared the story of the museum’s development including the great work done by the Mansfield Historical Society in community fundraising. The visitors also heard about the significant local fish fossils discovered recently and how they will be incorporated into the museum exhibits. Mr Pakula and Ms Nolan-Cook congratulated Council on recently securing federal funding for the exciting projects. On 7 August the TNE representatives also joined Council staff and approximately 20 local business operators in consultations with Visit Victoria representatives on the Visit Victoria 2030 Strategy. The session provided an important opportunity to share ideas between different players in the sector on how to work together and realise ambitions for the visitor economy. TNE provides a host of programs to support businesses in the region, including industry research and data, support for grant applications, representation at tourism events and trade shows and development of tourism campaigns targeting high-yield visitors. TNE also works together with councils to grow and market local tourism opportunities. Mansfield Shire Council’s CEO is also a member of the TNE board, ensuring the Shire’s perspective and voice is reflected in regional tourism strategy. For several years TNE has developed and managed the “Mansfield Mt Buller” Facebook and Instagram pages, promoting the experiences that make Mansfield Shire a compelling destination. The pages have recently been transferred into Council hands in an effort to build further on TNE’s work. The pages will continue to highlight the best of the region such as local businesses, arts and culture, seasonal beauty, local food and events and a taste of life in the High Country. Council aims to use its connections and insights to put local people and stories at the centre of local tourism marketing. With Council staff regularly supporting events and working directly with tourism operators, followers of the pages can expect content that’s more immediate, more personal and more reflective of what’s happening on the ground. Mayor Cr Steve Rabie thanked Mr Pakula and Ms Nolan-Cook for TNE’s interest in the Station Precinct. “It’s great that we had the visit from Martin and we hope this highlights for TNE that Mansfield and District is the jewel of the North East; after all, we are the best little Shire in Victoria,” he said. "We were really excited to personally introduce Martin and Bess to our plans for the Station Precinct – a major tourism opportunity for our region. "We look forward to working with them to make the most of that opportunity as the precinct develops." Council’s Senior Coordinator Economic Development Gareth MacDonald said the Mansfield Mt Buller brand and the See High Country brand had gone from strength to strength, seeing major growth in followers and content. “We’re really pleased with how TNE has worked with us to include Mansfield Shire content in their new Destination Management Plan and the recent ‘you didn’t hear it from me’ marketing campaign," he said. Tourism businesses can access Tourism North East services including training opportunities, one on one support, networking and more, by signing up to the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse platform. For more information visit atdw.com.au. To keep up with what’s happening across the region, follow @mansfieldmtbuller on Facebook and Instagram.

Council showcases Mansfield Station Precinct site to regional tourism body

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