Port Macquarie-Hastings: New ‘destination brand’ to launch July 2021
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will re-boot it’s tourism and visitor information brand in 2021 to better reflect the region’s rapid rate of growth and contemporary offerings.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will launch a refreshed visitor information and tourism brand next year to bring more out-of-area tourists to holiday to the region.
Recruiting is currently underway by the council to enlist a specialist marketing or creative agency to review its destination brand, which is one of the main actions to come out of the council’s tourism bible - the Destination Marketing Plan (DMP).
The development of the DMP is a priority in council‘s Economic Development Strategy, and has been informed by considerable visitor information and tourism research.
The six-month destination brand review, which will commence in February 20201, will see a successful marketing or creative agency develop “a consumer facing destination visitor brand’ that best ‘shifts perceptions of the destination [Port Macquarie-Hastings region] from a sleepy coastal region that attracts retirees to be an accurate representation of the region today.”
Tourism contributes an estimated $469 million to the Port Macquarie-Hastings annual economy, and is the sixth largest economic generator in the region.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Acting Director Strategy and Growth, Leisa Davies, said the delivery of the new brand will be instrumental in positioning the area as vibrant and growing regional destination.
“We hear time and time again from visitors, or even visiting journalists that are here as part of our PR program, that say ‘oh, I came to Port Macquarie as a kid, and oh my goodness, this is nothing like I remember it’," she said.
“So, the aim really is to get some specialist support to look at how do we develop a new brand that will help us continue to sustainably grow our visitor economy and that will help us to engage with both our existing visitors and our potential visitors.
“In a way, this will be reflective of who are now as a region. The brand will encompass Port Macquarie as the anchor destination, but it also includes Wauchope, it’s hinterland, and the Camden Haven as well.
“It’s a big, and a very exciting project.”
It is this changing face of the Port Macquarie-Hastings region over the years that is the driving catalyst for the refreshed brand.
Not since the roll-out of the 2009 ‘Come Out Of Your Shell’ tourism marketing brand has the council revisited idea.
The successful agency will be required to ‘re imagine the brand visually and verbally to reach more people’ and deliver a brand that reflects the region as ‘a destination that improves competitiveness as a place to holiday.’
“This project will deliver a new consumer facing destination visitor brand, a clearly identified priority in our Destination Management Plan,” the tender document states.
“DMP has been developed to provide strategic direction for Council and tourism industry stakeholders for the sustainable management, development and marketing of tourism across Port Macquarie-Hastings over the next five years to 2024.
“Clear imperatives that emerged included a review of the destination brand and related marketing strategies to best position Port Macquarie-Hastings and its experiences to key visitor markets.”
Ms Davies said the council has spent a lot of time researching new population trends in the Port Macquarie-Hastings, and how this is shaping the region today.
“We know now that we are one of the really high-growth regions, and we are now touted as a regional city,” she said.
“We’ve got a vibrant economy and we’ve got really high migration rates – particularly as a result of COVID.
“You know it’s not just retirees moving to our region, it is young families who are wanting to escape the larger city and people are recognising now that they can live here and still work remotely, or buy a business – there are a broad range of opportunities.
“But really this brand is about how do we connect with visitors and potential visitors.
Ms Davis said the council does regular visitor profiling and satisfaction surveying each year, as part of its destination management plan.
“That helps us understand who is visiting, how do they see our place and what are the most popular things for them to do.
“Are there any things that are missing in that experience? How do they feel about that experience? It helps us look and understand where are our strengths and opportunities are.”
Ms Davis said it was important to distinguish the project as a visitor brand from a corporate brand.
“It’s not about our local council brand, it’s really about the touch points with visitors, about the visitor guide, our tourism marketing and our highway billboards,” she said.
“But it’s bigger than just logos, it’s about what is our brand vision and strategy and one of the things that we’re wanting to do is ensure that we work towards a brand that is applicable to the region and sub-regions, so there may be different elements to that.
“What we want is a visitor brand that our tourism businesses can take and use also.”
Tenders for the specialist brand or marketing agency are open until February, at which point a contract will be awarded.
“Once that’s awarded we will then look to roll into some of the local engagement and review process with that successful business contractor,” Ms Davies said.
It is expected a final brand will be ready to go live in July.
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