Successful tourism is everyone's business

I want you to change lenses from your "I live here" views to "I'm new to this town as a visitor".

Use the same habit you adopt when visiting another town for sport, business or visiting friends or purposely going on a holiday to somewhere new.

Who are the first people you meet when you arrive in a town?

Often, it is the people at service stations where you get fuel, have a loo stop and perhaps stock up on snacks and water.

How you are welcomed provides a subliminal experience defining your first impressions of that town.

Over the past 20 years, I've noticed many people from India and Pakistan staffing the servos and, on every occasion, their politeness, courtesy and welcome has been warm.

Do service station operators regard themselves as participating in the tourism sector?

Probably not however, they are.

Where the locals eat is another usual stand-by to ascertain where the best food in town is.

When you find these places, a take-away, bakery, cafe or pub, again, all are participants in the tourism sector.

Laundrettes may not be the first destination for visitors to a town however, many provide laundry services for motels, B 'n B's and restaurants who are first-phase visitor destinations.

The income generated by the accommodation houses flows into the laundrettes which employ people, buy products from other businesses and provide a valuable service to hospitality.

Often not recognised, the flow-on effect of dollars spent in town with independently-owned enterprises can be up to 75 per cent of turnover.

Compare this with businesses and head quarters far, far away and basically, only wages and possibly rent or rates stay in that town.

This can be as low as 14 per cent.

Analysing why and how a rural or regional town has the 'X-factor' is determined by the proportion of independently owned enterprises, especially in the main streets and connected precincts.

Most towns have creative people in their midst who enjoy displaying their personalities and this group can lead the vision to create and display how their town appears to visitors and locals alike.

Fifteen years ago, Hunter Street in Newcastle was moribund and depressed. Almost 50 per cent of the shops were closed and the main street was devoid of people and activities.

National brand name signs dominated the visual scape and nothing indicated you were in this once vibrant city.

One bright spark decided to petition the owners of empty shops and brokered the shops would be available for a peppercorn rent to artists and micro-scale entrepreneurs for six months to literally hang their shingles and operate in these public spaces.

This plan was enthusiastically subscribed with a 90 per cent take up from owners and new tenants.

The colour and activities of the tenants drew Newcastle residents into the main precinct again, and attracted visitors; all this exposure led to sales and revitalisation of the local economy.

Let's do this in Cowra.

Pennie Scott, Deputy Chair, Cowra Tourism Corporation