Council outlines tourism strategy

Work is underway to establish the structure for tourism industry groups to aid communication between the sector and the Rotorua Tourism Committee.

Rotorua District Council chief executive Peter Guerin presented a report to committee members at their October meeting yesterday outlining the original recommendations for visitor strategy groups to help in the development and implementation of a long-term, strategic plan.

Chairman Tony Marks said feedback from the tourism industry at the outset of the committee's work indicated this was not necessary, but things had changed and now the group needed to take a second look at the options.

"We thought the industry would give representation to the committee through Destination Rotorua Marketing, but it appears the various sector groups or portfolio groups are wanting to talk to us directly and to have input at committee level.

"We need to establish mechanisms for that to happen and we need to do it at speed."

In his Review of Rotorua Visitor Industry Representation Arrangements report, Rob MacIntyre suggested a strategy group of 23 representatives from the various tourism sectors, meeting every three or six months to focus on industry campaigns and charting progress towards the three to five-year strategic plan.

Following last week's tourism forum, four other options have been put forward:

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  Market-based representation of groups focused on specific markets such as China or Australia
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  Greater use of referendum by e-voting
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  More frequent industry briefings with cluster groups
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  Bringing back the portfolio groups used by the previous body, the Tourism Advisory Board

Committee member Elizabeth Valentine will be using her experience with similar groups in her role as chief executive of the Aviation, Tourism and Travel Training Organisation to create a report to the committee on the options available.

Valentine said the first step was to get a conceptual framework in place by the end of November, then to take two to three options to the council for a decision.

"The key thing is to understand that we will never get everybody - the industry is very difficult to define. But we need a practical way in which people can be more self-determining."

Economic and regulatory services group manager Mark Rawson said the aim would be to have an answer by the next Tourism Committee meeting on November 24.

He said the industry groups would be in addition to, rather than a replacement for, the wider tourism forums, such as that held last week.