{"id":247082,"date":"2019-10-30T21:52:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T11:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=247082"},"modified":"2020-07-15T18:35:58","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T08:35:58","slug":"lto-seeks-partnership-with-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/10\/30\/lto-seeks-partnership-with-council\/","title":{"rendered":"LTO Seeks Partnership With Council"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The collapse of the South Burnett’s tourism economy was a major topic at the first meeting of the new SBRC Tourism Advisory Committee held in August<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 30, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Visit South Burnett Local Tourism Organisation (LTO) will seek a formal partnership with the South Burnett Regional Council.<\/p>\n

The move was decided at the first meeting of the newly formed South Burnett Tourism Advisory Committee.<\/p>\n

The new committee was set up to advise Council after complaints from tourism operators last year that the region’s tourism economy had stalled.<\/p>\n

At two public meetings held in Kingaroy and Wooroolin in late 2018, operators said the Council’s tourism marketing efforts were failing to achieve any turnaround in the region’s fortunes.<\/p>\n

They called on Council to consult more broadly with tourism industry operators rather than a handful of businesses.<\/p>\n

The SBTAC held its first meeting in late August, but minutes of that meeting were not released until last week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The meeting was chaired by Tourism portfolio leader Cr Danita Potter with Cr Gavin Jones as Deputy Chair.<\/p>\n

Mayor Keith Campbell, CEO Mark Pitt, Senior Economic Development Officer Craig Tunley, Tourism Officer Julie Foley, and Governance Manager Carolyn Knudsen also attended.<\/p>\n

Representatives from the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce, Nanango Tourism and Development Association and Visit South Burnett LTO were invited to provide industry input.<\/p>\n

Murgon Business and Development Association was also invited to take part, but did not send a representative.<\/p>\n

The meeting was told that up to 10 years ago there was substantial investment in vineyards and cellar doors, bed and breakfasts and related tourism infrastructure throughout the South Burnett.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, this ground to a halt after the 2011 and 2013 floods and there had been few signs of recovery since.<\/p>\n

This lack of investment in new tourism ventures had reduced job creation opportunities.<\/p>\n

Visit South Burnett president Jason Kinsella said the LTO was incorporated and ready to assist with the region’s tourism marketing efforts.<\/p>\n

But its progress was stalled due to a lack of support from Council.<\/p>\n

Mr Kinsella said the LTO required official Council support to form a relationship with a suitable Regional Tourism Organisation and access State Government funding for marketing.<\/p>\n

The meeting agreed that Visit South Burnett should present a formal partnership proposal to Council, but voted this process be completed outside the SBTAC.<\/p>\n

The meeting also agreed to meet quarterly in future, with the next meeting scheduled for mid-October.<\/p>\n

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