Tourism operators can start feeling good post lockdown

An ambitious tourism campaign set to the tune of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good is being rolled out in NSW in a bid to turbocharge the visitor economy.

Michelle Bishop at the Bagalay Luxury Villas in Shoalhaven Heads on the south coast of NSW, is looking forward to a bumper season. Picture: Ryan Osland

An ambitious $10m tourism campaign set to the tune of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good is being rolled out in NSW in a bid to turbocharge the visitor economy and bring the country‘s most populous state back to life as it emerges from four months of hibernation.

The campaign is slated to be a key pillar in a wider strategy to expand the NSW visitor economy from $38bn to $65bn in expenditure by 2030 and comes a week before the state welcomes back international visitors again.

Developed by Destination NSW, the campaign titled Feel New features videos showcasing natural landscapes and cultural experiences in NSW and will be shown across broadcast advertising and social media.

Set to a rendition of Feeling Good by NSW artist Azure Ryder and producer Breathe, the advertisement depicts tourism experiences including abseiling in the Blue Mountains, a road trip in outback NSW, a performance by Bangarra Dance Theatre and a person swimming in Sydney’s Mahon Ocean Pool.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said it was the state government ‘s biggest campaign in 10 years, and he hoped it would entice visitors from overseas and interstate.

“When you watch this campaign it really does bring to life the best that our state has to offer … from outdoor experiences to eco-tourism to arts, culture, food experiences and the major landmarks,” he said.

“There is a bright future for our state and I think this campaign will take our state to the next level.” The campaign comes as part of a $500m spending package which includes $50 Stay and Rediscover tourism accommodation vouchers and an expansion of the Dine and Discover voucher scheme.

Intrastate tourism is set to ramp up with travel into the regions from greater Sydney be permitted from November 1.

The easing of travel restrictions was delayed by two weeks, after sluggish vaccination rates in the regions meant the NSW government opted to a cautious approach in order to avoid further lockdowns.

Manager and founder of Bangalay Luxury Resort Michelle Bishop said the two-week delay of regional travel had hurt her business on the NSW south coast, but is looking forward to a roaring summer of trade.

Ms Bishop, who is also South Coast Tourism Industry Association president, said the delay came as a shock to all hospitality operators who had been working towards an opening date of October 18.

Businesses were ready to scale up operations but an an-­nouncement just days before they were set to open left them ­scrambling.

“With any business you can’t just turn the lights on the day before and expect to provide the kind of offerings guests expect,” Ms Bishop said.

The resort employs 35 full time staff and 15 part-time, and has had to carry the burden of paying full time wages for an extra two weeks with next to no income.

“We had hired new staff, and it’s really hard to recruit hospitality staff in regional NSW so we had people moving from interstate to take these positions,” Ms Bishop said.

“We had taken really conservative approach with our dates with a week’s buffer to make sure we had hit 80 per cent and so it came as a real shock.”

The villas have been operating at a 10 per cent occupancy rate, so its been a difficult few months.

About to begin what would normally be peak season, Ms Bishop said operators were focusing on how they could sustain the surge of visitors beyond February and into next year.

“There is so much going on down here, with lots of great events planned along with all the food and beverage offerings for tourists,” she said.

“The great thing is we know a lot of people want to come and its going to be a great summer.”