TROY BELL MP
Member for Mount Gambier
Your Independent voice
in State Parliament
Personal invitation to tour Mount Gambier
Tuesday November 22, 2022Published by: The Border Watch
SOUTH Australia's new tourism chief will be offered a "personal invitation" to visit Mount Gambier. The invitation to tour Mount Gambier will offered to South Australia's new tourism CEO Emma Terry by Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell as he promotes a stronger focus on the city's tourism assets.
"I have always said we live in one of the best cities in the world and it's time for Mount Gambier to be recognised nationally and internationally as a prime visitor destination," he said.
"Ahead of the busy summer holiday period, our city needs to maximise its opportunities and stand out from the crowd. At the moment, we're lacking a strong brand and linkages between those paid tourism experiences.
"We've got these incredible natural assets in our crater lakes and sinkholes and we need to package and market those experiences with the help of the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) to encourage visitors to stay longer in our city and wider region." Ms Terry will begin her role in January and Mr Bell said he would be inviting her to tour Mount Gambier and the wider Limestone Coast region as one of her first regional engagements.
"Ms Terry has come from Tourism Tasmania, which has a very strong brand, longrunning events such as Dark Mofo and also, a similar nature-based tourism outlook and climate to Mount Gambier," he said.
"I'm looking forward to showing her our city and hearing her thoughts on how we can progress and grow our visitor economy and I'll also be asking that our city gets a greater slice of the SATC's marketing budget," he said. With the return of international travel, Mr Bell said the time was right to promote the city on the national and international tourism scene.
The recent changeover of city growth and tourism roles through the City of Mount Gambier and Limestone Coast Local Government Association would inject fresh ideas into the city's tourism outlook, Mr Bell said.
"We have an opportunity to hit the ground running and it will take all hands on deck, from the operators working on the ground right up to the CEO of our state's tourism body," he said.
"In my Future Mount Gambier & Districts plan, I proposed $6 million over the next four years to invest in product and experience development for the city, including encouraging entrepreneurial endeavours and cultural tourism opportunities and partnerships.