New tourism head happy to talk

A NEW peak tourism industry board of six tourism operators, has risen from the ashes of Visit Ballarat.

The Ballarat Region Tourism board, chaired by Iain Gunn, Mercure Ballarat lessee, was elected at the recent Visit Ballarat AGM.

“What we want to achieve is to be a strong voice for the tourism industry of which we still have 330 members.” Mr Gunn said.

Ballarat Regional Tourism’s vision is to grow visitation numbers in Ballarat by working in partnership with the city to provide honest, collaborative, respectful but frank feedback.

Mr Gunn said Ballarat Regional Tourism, known as BRT, wants to broaden the membership to include anyone involved in tourism directly or indirectly.

“It could be a farmer or primary producer who supplies the hospitality operators in town or a retailer or a café” he said.

The new organisation is taking up a strong advocacy roll for its members and has invested in the destination marketing of Ballarat but it is no longer its responsibility.

“While the Town Hall has assumed Ballarat’s destination marketing it is incumbent on somebody to have an autonomous voice,” Mr Gunn said. “I understand their motivations to wanting to bring it back in house.

“BRT has positioned itself to be completely independent, not subject to any funding from the city or subject to rate payer support.

“That leaves us unencumbered by any constraints with the city, to be able to speak on behalf of the industry and our members.

“It doesn’t help any of us if we are not working collaboratively”

Mr Gunn describes the situation as like a glass of muddy water, the more you shake it up you can’t see through it, but bit by bit it becomes a little clearer.

He has a pragmatic attitude to the future of what he sees as an undeniable need to have a peak tourism industry body, but he also concedes that that a six-person board may not be sustainable long term, particularly as all directors are tourism operators of note.

BRT is recruiting an Executive Officer for a 12-month contract to take care of day to day operations.