‘Modern Manly’ brand marketing campaign to help boost economy
A marketing campaign to rebrand Manly as modern and vibrant holiday destination will be rolled out for summer to help attract tourists from across the state.
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Plans are afoot to launch a summer marketing campaign to encourage visitors from across the state to visit Manly and spend their money.
A task force of eminent business minds and community figures is currently working on creating a brand for a “modern Manly” to help form the basis of a campaign.
Manly’s Liberal MP James Griffin, who is leading the newly formed Tourism and Economic Recovery Taskforce, said the aim was to show tourists how to “enjoy Manly like a local”, as well as surrounding areas such as Freshwater and Curl Curl and further up the peninsula.
He said the task force – set up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit local businesses hard – decided at its first meeting to look at how to market Manly for overnight or weekend visitors, rather than relying on just day-trippers.
Mr Griffin said they are aiming to push “brand Manly” throughout NSW in time for summer.
“We need to drill down a bit further on what our brand is, but we want a marketing campaign for Manly for the summer,” he said.
“If interstate and international travel is limited let’s capitalise on state visitors by making sure people are aware of what Manly has to offer apart from walking down the Corso.”
He said the modern Manly was a far cry from what it was ten or 20 years ago and now was a good time to let people know.
He said people may not realise Manly is a great place to explore the outdoors, whether it be a walk at North Head or the Curl Curl boardwalk, or that it has a vibrant dining scene.
“We don’t just want day-trippers, we want heads on beds so we can extend the spend,” he said.
He said the team would be looking at creating itineraries for how to spend 24 or 48 hours in Manly.
Mr Griffin also said the task force is also looking at how to prepare Manly for next year when hopefully the COVID-19 situation has improved.
He said he would like to see projects fast-tracked such as more walking paths at North Head, as well as pushing for a decision to be made on the future of the boarded up Manly aquarium.
The task force includes Ray Brownlee, CEO of Northern Beaches Council, members of the Manly Business Chamber, representatives from Surfing NSW, Business Events Sydney, Tourism and Transport Forum and general managers from Q Station, The Sebel and Novotel Manly.