A local business person stopped me on the coastal pathway in Bargara over the weekend, as my son and I were strolling along with our icecreams. He mentioned that he had spotted this column in the Bundaberg Today and enjoyed reading it, suggesting that I needed to share also why we do what we do at Bundaberg Tourism.
As the region’s Regional Tourism Organisation, we are motivated to make a difference in our community through sustainable destination management, and for me personally, I’m driven for our tourism industry and destination to not just live and work for today, but to build a legacy for future generations through tourism. And we can only do that if everyone unites and works together towards that common goal. (the Eco Destination Certification journey I wrote about last week is a perfect example of this effort)
For those of you who don’t know me, I moved to Bundaberg from the Town of 1770 and Agnes Water about 7 years ago now, originally for the convenience of high school for my daughter, and now stay in the region because I love it.
I love the abundance of fresh food and the people that so passionately grow it for us. And I love the collaborative and innovative nature of businesses to make things happen and am reminded of this every day in my work for the tourism industry, as CEO of Bundaberg Tourism.
Injecting over 1.3 million dollars a day of NEW money into the economy and supporting many industries across the region, tourism is a big part of what makes the whole region tick.
For the team at Bundaberg Tourism though, we know that it’s not just about the dollars!
Growing tourism, builds the need for more public infrastructure that locals can enjoy all year round. Like parks and playgrounds, public toilets, boat ramps and bike paths.
Growing tourism provides jobs for people of all ages, across a variety of industries and skill levels.
Growing tourism increases the audience of potential visitors, and potential homeowners, investors, and new ratepayers.
Growing tourism grows pride in where we live, as we share our beautiful backyard with visitors, we get to see what we sometimes can take for granted every day, through the fresh eyes of a visitor.
And Growing tourism means a united community, working together to deliver extraordinary visitor experiences at every touch point.
So ultimately, it is all about the people of our region. You and me!
Tourism has so many touchpoints around a community, what does growing tourism mean for you?
Yours in tourism,
Katherine Reid, CEO
PS: If there are other things you would like to see in this column about tourism – let us know on our corporate Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bundabergtourism
