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WHITE PAPER

THE FUTURE OF VISITOR SERVICING August 2019

Version 2

This White paper has been created with direction and support from Visit Victoria, Tourism Events and Visitor Economy Branch, Victorian Tourism Industry Council, Murray River Tourism, Mornington Peninsula Tourism, Bass Coast Shire, Echuca Moama Tourism, Macedon Ranges Shire, East Gippsland Shire, City of Melbourne, Yarra Ranges Tourism, Geelong & Bellarine Tourism, Great Ocean Road Tourism and Grampians Tourism.

WHITE PAPER: THE FUTURE OF VISITOR SERVICING

OVERVIEW 3

1. The Visitor at the Centre of our Thinking 5

1.1 Information 5

1.2 When, Where and How Visitors Get/Need Information 6

1.3 Inspiration 8

2. The Changing Landscape 9

2.1 Smartphones 9

2.2 The Digital Audience 10

2.3 Visitor Information Centres 10

2.4 The role of Melbourne 12

3. Research and Trends 13

3.1 Research needs to be acted on 13

3.2 Global Trends 14

3.2.1 Hyperconnectivity 14

3.2.2 New Technologies 14

3.3.3 The Millennial Way 14

4. Influencing the Visitor’s Journey – Mapping 15

4.1 How to Play and Influence at Each Stage 15

5. Recent Visitation Research - Digital & Physical 18

5.1 Intercept results (Regional/Metropolitan) 18

5.2 Consumer Preferences 19

6. Who is Doing What? 20

6.1 Visitor Information to Visitor Servicing - everyone plays a role 20

7. Visitor Servicing Inspiration 21

7.1 Information 21

7.2 People 21

7.3 Experiences 21

8. Visitor Research Recommendations 22

8.1 Understanding and Mapping Visitor Journeys 22

9. Visitor Servicing: Challenges and Solutions 22

9.1 Review Existing Structure and Capacities 24

9.2 Local Knowledge 24

9.3 Storytelling 25

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9.4 A supporting Brand Platform able to serve diverse needs 25

9.5 Develop Omnichannel Plans with an increased Digital focus 26

9.6 Location and technology 26

9.7 Create a “Wow Experience”: from Information to Inspiration 26

9.8 Be the Custodian of Regional Stories 26

9.9 Close Experience Gaps 27

9.10 Residents, Retail + Service Provider Engagement 27

9.12 Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement 28

9.13 Tourism Industry Engagement Focus 28

9.15 Use VTIC Visitor Servicing Tool Kit 28

10. Operating Model Options 28

10.1.1 A common agenda 29

10.1.2 Shared Measurement System 29

10.1.3 Mutually Reinforcing Activities 29

10.1.3 Backbone Support Organisations 30

10.1.4 Continuous Communication 30

10.2 LGA Investment in Visitor Servicing beyond a VIC 30

11. Literature Review 31

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OVERVIEW

It is time to Rethink Visitor Servicing. This White Paper draws on extensive work by a range of local, regional and state organisations in recent years.

The key insight of all who have examined how Visitor Services are being delivered is that the fragmentation of resources is leaving everyone behind.

It is clear Victoria needs a coherent Statewide Strategy that is sustainable for stakeholders and addresses the needs of visitors.

The aim should be to evolve the current singular focus on Visitor Information Centres (VICs) and instead reimagine the concept of Visitor Servicing. A blended approach of people and technology.

Today fewer visitors want to be identified as tourists - they want to seek out experiences that immerse themselves in a destination. They want to live like a local, enjoying the best a destination has to offer. Local knowledge and insight is more valuable than ever.

The primary role of digital channels in marketing and visitor servicing is no longer in question, although Visitor Servicing has a long way to go to utilise these channels. And while Visitor Services is a continuation of the promises made via destination marketing, the two functions are usually disconnected.

Most of today’s travellers are always online via their mobile phones. Some are also flexible and open to finalise travel plans in destination through the serendipity of discovery.We need a shift in thinking - Visitor Servicing is not just about in-destination visitor information provision from a fixed location. We need to intercept visitors at multiple points in their journey.

Visitor Servicing ought to do more than satisfy the information needs of a minority of people who step into a Visitor Information Centre. It needs to go digital, and face-to-face engagement needs mobility to go to where people are as well as letting them come to us.

Fundamentally, Visitor Servicing needs to drive more business from the visitors we attract. It needs to:

● Pre: Engage visitors with information and inspiration including practical options relating to the array of opportunities in our destinations before they visit our destination;

● During: Support their needs when in-destination, including cross promoting experiences other than those already on their itineraries;

● Post: Encourage visitors to share their positive experiences and, post visit, maintain a relationship to understand their levels of satisfaction, inform product and experience

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development and garner return visitation.

A Statewide Strategy - Key Directions

● Consolidate Visitor Servicing resources, align with marketing and invest in both online and offline servicing capabilities;

● Reimagine the Visitor Information Centre network and run it to information service delivery goals based on addressing the changing needs of visitors;

● Create new operational and governance structures in which all stakeholders collaborate and commit to delivering a network which is sustainable and aligned to a contemporary customer service model;

● Evolve the design and location of Visitor Information Centres, with some to become contemporary Hubs of Inspiration for visitors, local businesses and the community, some to be re-located or, in some instances, closed - but only with a plan to reinvest any savings and redeploy staff to more effectively engage visitors and grow the local economy;

● Establish a suite of Visitor Servicing Metrics of Success including:

○ Revenue and diversity of revenue streams○ Cost of delivery (expenses)○ Volunteer support○ Local industry engagement○ Local product and operator representation○ Visitation to VICs against overall visitation to destination and trend○ Growth of Database of potential and actual visitors who have given permission to be

further engaged ie who have opted in.○ % Conversion of Database to Visitation○ Visitor satisfaction and Positive Referral

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1. The Visitor at the Centre of our ThinkingThe Visitor knows no boundaries. They travel for experiences and can access information through a multitude of channels throughout their journey. The visitor journey is divided into four parts from inspiration (dreaming), to then conversion (booking), service (travel experience) and finally advocacy (sharing stories). The goal of putting the visitor at the heart of our thinking is to deliver both inspiration and information at the right time personalised to what the visitor is interested in.

1.1 Information Information is the currency of Visitor Servicing and must be accessible at all stages of the visitor journey from:

● Advocacy to Inspiration; ● Inspiration to Conversion;● Service to Departure; and, ● finally, when being an Advocate of the experience of the Destination.

A blended engagement strategy should be built on an understanding of how and when visitors want to receive specific types of information and inspiration. It also must be a fully collaborative effort with all channels interconnecting.

The role of the Visitor Information Centre needs to change.

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At a time when virtually every retail business has redefined its physical and digital presence to better engage and serve customers, most Visitor Information Centres remain a testimony to the way things were done in the pre-internet era.

We should think like a retailer in an omnichannel network.

Successful retailers understand how their customers think about their products and services and intercept and nurture them in a consistent and coherent way with information and sales offers at multiple stages of their journeys.

This occurred via a blend of digital and face-to-face engagement.

Within the destination itself visitors place tremendous value and trust on local knowledge and recommendations.

Traditional Visitor Information Centres are not connecting with the vast majority of visitors. Many centres are outdated, in poor locations, and are seeing visitor numbers drop. In their traditional form, they are of diminishing relevance. Many VICs are now experimenting with technology and social media in a bid to reach visitors.

1.2 When, Where and How Visitors Get/Need InformationIt is important to understand the journey visitors take when planning their trips and identify how to intercept and inspire them including with timely, relevant information.

Research by the City of Melbourne1 shows that visitors use information services throughout their journeys and, at different stages, seek different topics and types of information.

They want information to be filtered - not all provided at once – and to be current and curated.

Information should be presented from their perspective - we have to stand in our visitors’ shoes.

Information needs to be available in different formats tailored to individuals’ needs. Review sites and other social media are key sources of information for visitors at all stages of the journey. Traditional information sources (printed maps and face-to-face services) are still sought in many destinations - digital channels are increasingly important but they are not the only information source.

Regions have recognised there are opportunities to take their services to where the people are, i.e. to high footfall environments including events and even other destinations such as Melbourne CBD.

Some regions are experimenting with mobile visitor servicing such as vans and “pop up” centres.

1City of Melbourne: Visitor information services Global summary, 28 June 2017, EY Sweeney; Visitor Experience Personas & Service Planning Storytelling (CityLab).

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Some VICs may need to be relocated and/or co-located. Some could go mobile or even be replaced by self-service digital kiosks and/or digital screens.

And there may be circumstances where there is no significant, mature tourism product, for example, where a VIC is not needed at all.

Some destinations are also investing in developing the knowledge of service industry staff so they become advocates for the destination, not just their own business.

Researchers have described the characteristics of modern (as opposed to traditional) VICs as follows2:

1. They are located in high traffic locations and have a “wow” factor – put colloquially, we need to “fish where the fish are” and make the VIC a destination in its own right;

2. They are engaged with local industry and the community and open at the right times – currently many VICs (and local retailers) are closed on high traffic times of the weekend and public holidays;

3. They must provide good quality service including local knowledge (defined as “Stories you can’t get anywhere else”) and be prepared to “go mobile”;

4. Be welcoming, have consistent branding and promoted “beyond regions”.

The 2018/19 VTIC survey of nearly 4000 visitors intercepted at a VIC revealed the main reasons for visiting was to pick up hard copies of brochures/maps and get information and recommendations from locals. The role staff play in storytelling and conversion should not be underestimated with 91% visiting attractions they normally wouldn’t, 17% spending longer in region and an additional $185 spend as a result of their VIC visit.

1.3 Inspiration Visitors are inspired at all stages of the decision making and planning cycle – through advertising, publicity, online content, review sites, social media, and word-of-mouth stories and recommendations from friends and family. And they can be further inspired in destination.

The 2018 Statewide Visitor Servicing Strategy noted: “Over the past decade virtually every type of retail business has redefined its physical and digital presence to better engage and serve customers.

It noted that digital technology presents new ways to inspire and enhance Visitor Servicing.

Some Visitor Information Centres could become digitally-enabled hubs of inspiration designed around modern retailing best practice and located in an appropriately high traffic environment, it said.

An “Inspiration Hub” could serve multiple purposes, including as a base for people skilled in creating and loading content into digital information channels, and as a place to train those with a passion for such new ways of engaging people.

2 Best Practice in Visitor Information Centres (VICs) / Welcome Centres, MyTravelResearch.com friends and members Carolyn Childs, 2018.

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Such a Hub could:

● Be highly visual – a ‘refreshable’ content container that showcases relevant and evocative regional and state tourism campaigns, images and branding;

● Use virtual and augmented reality to inspire purchase of product and visitation to local destinations and attractions;

● Offer a consulting service for personalised planning supported by digital tools including reviewing user generated content;

● Run multimedia group presentations at scheduled times celebrating regional experiences - creating serendipitous opportunities that encourage people to do and spend more, extend their stays and/or give them more reasons to come back and positively refer a region;

● Coordinate the placement of QR Codes directly linked to websites at high traffic points to cross promote attractions across the region;

● Be a training centre and use digital technology to enhance the skills and understanding of those involved in visitor servicing including volunteers, local businesses and paid staff;

● Run seminars for local businesses to teach them how to get discovered through Search engines and be recommended and shared via review sites and social networks.

● Use digital technology and channels in visitor servicing. For example, staff in the Hub could create and curate local audio-visual content for use within the Hub and online and use Artificial Intelligence-driven Chatbots to answer frequently asked questions.

● Provide a community hub for events and tourism programs to create regional advocacy building the VFR market and attracting new residents.

2. The Changing Landscape Technology continues to profoundly change the way we access information and the opportunities to get information to visitors and potential visitors – and perhaps no one device is more significant than the smartphone.

2.1 SmartphonesConsider the following facts based on research in Australia by consulting firm Deloitte in 20173:

● More than four in five people took a smartphone with them wherever they went;● Almost three in four people never had time out from their device by turning it off;● Almost seven in 10 people checked their phone within 15 mins of waking up;● Australian smartphone users spent 177 minutes a day on their phones and checked them

150 times a day;● More than nine in 10 smartphone users turn to them for ideas in the middle of a task.

3 Consulting firm Deloitte summary of themes emerging from its mobile consumer survey of Australians in 2017

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Use of Mobile Phone as part of in Destination Journey in US in 2018*

Air Travel Four out of five people (82%)

Hotel Three out of four people (76%)

Tour Guide Almost one in three people (31%)

Restaurant Reservation Two in five people (39%)

Social Media Three in five people (61%)

* Percentage of Travellers Who Have used their mobile phones at least part of the in-destination journey based on US research released by the travel publisher Skift in June 2018.

Smartphone use by visitors was reflected in traffic to visitvictoria.com in the year to June 30, 2018 where almost seven in 10 people accessed the website via mobile phones (6 million of 8.9 million visits.)

This is why it vitally important for those involved in marketing and visitor services to stay abreast of new ways of engaging visitors enabled by mobile.

For example, mobile users are becoming more comfortable with the use of QR codes with data for a locator, identifier, or tracker that points to a website or application thanks to social media giants such as Facebook, Snapchat and Pinterest integrating their use.

And smartphone providers now have intuitive QR code scanners built into their camera software, so it is no longer necessary to download and install third party QR readers.

2.2 The Digital AudienceThe new world of technology-enabled marketing illustrates dramatically why our approach to Visitor Servicing must change.

In a data-driven world there is a universe of “known” and “unknown” prospects and customers. With the right behavioural data points we are able to predict and pre-emptively offer visitation opportunities to people we know and people we don’t.

The move towards more data-driven, personalised marketing is core to delivering the right content to the right person at the right time.

One aim of modern marketing is to intercept “unknown” prospects and have them agree to become known customers by giving us permission to further engage via email and/or mobile phone.

From there, we have the potential to build a life-long relationship with our visitors.

We can learn about their preferences and proactively and pre-emptively inform and inspire them. We can automate much of the process.

However, to do this, regions will need new expertise, technologies and working cultures. They will need an Omnichannel Strategy and be prepared to invest in creating such capability. This should form part of an overall rethink of the Visitor Servicing offering and allocation of resources.

Such a model promises a measurable return on investment and, done well, economic growth.

This is a thoroughly modern way of working in which the visitor is truly at the centre of everything we do.

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2.3 Visitor Information CentresA recent publication commissioned through Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) highlights the benefits of local government engaging with Victoria’s visitor economy to encourage greater investment and job growth in a region.4

For more than 20 years Visitor Information Centres (VICs) have been the main focus of local governments engagement with the Visitor Economy.

There are two types of VIC - Accredited and Unaccredited Centres

The significance of an accredited Visitor Information Centre is that it is clearly road sign posted with the trademarked blue and yellow information sign. Losing accreditation also means losing road signage, presence on various maps and the Visit Victoria website. Accredited VICs need to meet service and operating standards that are regularly audited.

Operators of accredited centres can also attend professional development programs and the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) VIC Portal which hosts a large volume of relevant information.

Unaccredited Visitor Information can take a variety of forms from information stands in motels to a community centre operated by volunteers.

It is difficult to influence unaccredited centres as there are no stringent opening hours, and limited quality control of product and staff that may or may not be connected directly to the industry.

Often an unaccredited information source is depicted by the universal white i (which cannot be used on road signs). Unaccredited centres can play an important role in visitation, satisfaction and bringing a community together.

While there is little data on visitation, spend or the connection to council and industry at these centres, it is useful for existing VICs, industry and tourism organisations to connect with up to date information and ambassador opportunities.

That said, falling visitor numbers through many accredited centres have many local governments asking if there is a better way to invest in the visitor economy. The State Government and regional tourism boards have recognised this.

Over the past decade, dozens of reports have analysed the role of Visitor Information Centres and how Visitor Servicing could be done differently. Most of these reports were commissioned independently by local government or Regional Tourism Boards with no coordinated statewide approach.

There are 66 accredited centres across Victoria. Many are in buildings designed for other purposes. Some have been purpose-built but were conceived as architectural monuments and are not located where most people are. On average, these centres cost almost $250,000 a year to run.5

4 Why and How Local Government Should Engage With Victoria’s Visitor Economy, produced by Victoria Tourism Industry Council supported by Visit Victoria April 2018.5 2018 Local Government Health Check

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There are also hundreds of non-accredited centres. Local efforts across both accredited and non-accredited centres are generally not coordinated or aligned with other regions, let alone coordinated with the State Government and its key agencies.

The State Government supports new visitor servicing models and test and learn projects that maximise collaboration and the visitor experience to grow the visitor economy

New models are being explored by several regions. In the regions of the Great Ocean Road, Grampians and in the Murray, active reviews are considering how they can be more efficient and effective in the delivery of Visitor Services.

Models being considered include frameworks for joint service delivery and governance to exploit relatively scarce resources and make more sense to visitors unaware of local government boundaries.

Work undertaken for the Great Ocean Road region describes the current state as a “Bricks and Mortar, 20th Century model for visitor servicing”.

The traditional Visitor Information Centre had the following, negative characteristics:

● Localised/decentralised ● Inflexible operating hours● Declining visitation/use● Inconsistent regional focus/integration ● Declining spend/dispersal/nights ● Offering incompatible scale/alignment● Not aligned with the visitor trip cycle.

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The Region is considering a range of different operating models based on increasingly incorporating mobile and digital services as set out left to right in the following table:

VISITOR SERVICING

ASSETS

Non-Centralisation Models Centralisation Models

Model 1: Status Quo

Model 2: Status Quo with Minimal

Change

Model 3: MultiChannel

Model 4: Inspiration Hubs

Model 5: Digital-& Mobile Only

Traditional Bricks & Mortar VICs

✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖

Enhanced Inspiration Centres

✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✖

Digital touch screens

✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Mobile VICs ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔

Roving Ambassadors

✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔

Regional social media program

✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔

Regional training program

✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔

Regional merchandising

✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✖

Each option needs to be considered not only through the lens of the visitor, but specific to a regions tourism offering. In assessing what is right for a specific region, a costs benefits ratio should be developed. In many cases, visitor servicing needs to be built up before physical locations can be reduced or centralised.

2.4 The role of MelbourneThe City of Melbourne has long played a leadership role in welcoming visitors through the delivery of visitor services across the municipality and continues to proactively review its visitor service model, benchmarking against global best practice and addressing changing visitor expectations.

Research confirms that visitors expect a multi-modal service, located nearby and access to tailored advice. An agile and digitally-supported service is deemed most effective in connecting with a broad

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cross section of visitors and many leading cities around the world are moving toward this delivery model.

In response to these changing visitor expectations, City of Melbourne has evolved its model over the past two years from a singular ‘flagship centre’ to one that supports delivery of multiple hubs and an expanded visitor servicing footprint across the municipality.

Melbourne’s visitor services network is further enhanced by improvements in wi-fi access, expansion of the city’s digital information services, new street maps and the implementation of a consistent approach to wayfinding signage across inner Melbourne, all of which contribute to creating a seamless visitor experience.

To maximise the influence on dispersal and spend and enhance the visitor experience in Melbourne, the new visitor services model considers three key areas: content, customer service and the role of technology. Whilst a strengthened digital presence allows 24-hour access to local knowledge, research also tells us that the greatest levels of visitor satisfaction are derived when this is complemented by tailored information and advice, delivered face-to-face.

Experience after the first 12 months of operating under the new visitor services model suggests that most visitors engaging with Melbourne’s visitor information services are seeking immediate or ‘rest of day’ guidance, rather than assistance with longer term planning.

Whilst some research is still done by international and interstate visitors on the ground, further investigation is required to understand the role that the City of Melbourne’s visitor information services play in directly influencing the decision to visit Regional Victoria.

Melbourne is constantly evolving; visitor preferences are changing and the city itself is undergoing major change as new infrastructure takes shape. As a global city, Melbourne is a ‘must experience’ destination on any visit to Australia - whether for business, study or pleasure.

3. Research and TrendsThere are numerous strategies, studies and reports produced at a state, regional and local level which have helped to inform the development of this White Paper. Of particular importance are:

● ‘Why And How Local Government Should Engage With Victoria’s Visitor Economy’, Produced by Victoria Tourism Industry Council Supported by Visit Victoria April 2018;

● the Victoria Visitor Information Centres Futures Project, 2013.

A full list of reviewed research is set out in the Appendices.

3.1 Research needs to be acted onWe have known we needed to Rethink Visitor Servicing generally, and Visitor Information Centres in particular, since 2013 when the Victorian Visitor Information Futures Project6 recommended:

● a rethink of VICs, with a greater focus on interior layout and design;

6 VIC Futures Project Final Report, Urban Enterprise Pty Ltd, August 2013.

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● noted that the “internet age” was being surpassed by the “mobile age” and, with it, visitors’ increased desire to access, download and upload information while on their trip;

● found that many visitors to information centres were seeking face-to-face engagement with staff or volunteers; however, much needed to be done in providing visitors with greater access to high quality, targeted information online to service those visitors who only access digital content.

It concluded: “One of the key issues identified in the preparation of this study was gaps in current research. This made it difficult to definitively understand trends in use, awareness, and benefits of visitor information services.”

3.2 Global TrendsSince 2013, technology and innovation have accelerated and given rise to trends we now need to react to in marketing and serving visitors. We have more access to information, people and ideas across the world than ever.

There is no greater influence on the trends impacting the sector than ‘connectedness’.7 People are now talking to a screen to connect. Disruption is meeting a customer need with technology usually the enabler.

Building brand awareness and successfully interacting with consumers is a crucial part of doing business today. Customers enjoy and expect a personalised experience.

Voice search and live videos were just two of the methods marketers explored to improve consumer interactions and brand awareness in 2018.

Writing interesting content that targets certain audiences and influencers in the dreaming/inspire stage is a win-win. Storytelling through personalised content not only positively influences the consumer but improves the chances of shared content to wider audiences. User generated content is another great influencer for visitors. Visit Scotland recently introduced a travel agency based on user generated content using hashtags on Instagram.

This social media envy, sometimes referred to as the “Instagram Effect,” has a powerful impact on travel consumer behaviour that travel marketers are trying to understand and exploit with increasingly sophisticated strategies.

2020 will be all about the integration of online, social and mobile personalised marketing. Many businesses have dabbled in one or all of these marketing strategies, but true success in the year ahead will be marked by a fully integrated programs that incorporates all three. This will eliminate redundancies, increase efficiency and fully leverage content across these three major players.

3.2.1 Hyper-connectivityAs noted, consumers want to be able to access digital information at all times. This hyper-connectivity is shaping the technological demands on industry and retail environments and continues to influence how consumers interact with the world around them.

7 Excerpted from Towards 2030: A Connected Future, Commissioned by Caravan Industry Association of Australia on behalf of the collective state caravanning and camping industry associations, May 2017.

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Hyper-connectivity refers to not only humans connecting to the internet, but also the wide range of objects and devices that interact with each other (also referred to as The Internet Of Things, made possible by smart sensors implanted in objects).

Visitors seek expertise, critical insight and ways to have better experiences at all points of interest. Experiential and interactive engagement with a region or brand is the future of consumer-brand connectivity. From live video, to recorded advice, to content with real-time responses, to contests and beyond, it’s about offering information and encouraging feedback from stakeholders in a way that establishes trust.

It raises expectations across all touchpoints.

3.2.2 New Technologies‘New Technologies’ is a broad concept and has widespread influence across all industries. In this context, it represents improvements in the operational and mechanical side of the industry – applying new technologies to improve urban and regional infrastructure, reduce environmental impact, and produce new design concepts.

Another big influence will be Artificial Intelligence (AI) - the ability of a computer program or machine to think and learn and which can be applied to a broad spectrum of tasks.

We are all watching the rise of AI and how it affects our relationships with consumers. In bringing out emotional connections through physical environments, we’ll see AI play an even bigger role in visitor servicing as it looks to personalise and automate more digital and traditional communications.

We run the risk of oversaturating our market with off-the-shelf tools that gather faceless data and create ineffective content. Engaging content has a remarkable power to inspire audiences. Instead of an influx of new technologies to deploy, we also need a deeper understanding of human bahaviour that will foster more meaningful relationships.

Technology is giving us so many new tools and platforms that sometimes we forget that communication always happens between human beings. Transparency will be the key to winning the hearts of visitors, who will reward those that share their values and stories in an authentic and transparent way.

3.3.3 The Millennial Way

Millennials are the generation born approximately between the early 1980s and mid-1990s –currently in their mid-twenties to early thirties. Millennials have significantly disruptive consumption patterns based on their hyper-connectivity and experiential based purchasing.

They have arrived into adulthood in the age of one-click commerce, meaning they can get anything they desire in an instant. This attitude has spilled over into many areas of their life such as travel, dating, and career.

The Visitor Economy in the years to come will be shaped by Millennials as they step into their earning prime and life with their young families. They are moving into a key market – families – and their mindset, behaviour, purchasing patterns and ownership desires appear to be very different from their predecessors.

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Millennials have embraced online peer-to-peer sharing and eagerly disrupt established industries where innovation is of consumer benefit.

When it comes to Millennials’ purchasing patterns, ‘experiences’ trump ‘things’. They will seek out leisure and experiences that help shape their identity and create long term memories.

Millennials in their pursuit of their dreams are increasingly engaging in entrepreneurial activities – meaning they are not always going to be in an office. They are looking for opportunities to work in flexible spaces and blend their interest in seeing the world with work.

3.3.4 Understanding 55 Plus

The 55 plus age group is at a stage of their life where they are comfortable with who they are. As such, they actively seek social engagements and interaction in their travels. This group thrives on storytelling and places high value on this connection being satisfied with all they experience.

It’s more about the people and culture not always the physical attractions. They are spontaneous, at times take risks and are often truly fearless in their travel adventures. The research conducted by New Young Consultants (Bronwyn White) saw instances of travelling groups of couples and groups of single females. Food, restaurants and food markets are one of the most well researched aspects of a trip for the over 55’s and represents a great part of their joy when travelling.

Perceptions that this market is not technology savvy is incorrect. The over 55’s travel with a range of devices, predominantly tablet and at the very least smartphones. They are constantly on their smartphones looking for local information. They also have no issues with booking and paying online.

The need for information is extremely high once they are in destination and has certainly not been satiated by the hundreds of hours they have already spent searching for information prior to arriving. The use of the Internet is extremely high once our travellers hit their destination. The same can be said for both domestic and international travel. However, the group still wants to connect with people and often seek further information our from accommodation providers and in some cases, Visitor Information Centres.

Visit Information Centres and the owners of the accommodation we stay in are exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable.

4. Influencing the Visitor’s Journey – Mapping

4.1 How to Play and Influence at Each Stage To more efficiently and effectively engage potential visitors, we need to understand their journeys. Most research in Visitor Servicing is retrospective, telling us who came and from where - but often not giving us the insights we need into how to attract more people and serve them better. The following insights illustrate how a research technique known as Customer Journey Mapping can help destinations understand how to better intercept and serve Australian visitors.

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Regions will need to develop improved research and insight capabilities if they are to continuously improve both marketing and visitor servicing.

Australians in the Dreaming, Consideration and Planning 8 phases of their journeys.

Behavioural Insights:

● People are using multiple sources to both research and book a trip;

● Researching a trip is both easy and enjoyable and has little if no downside (apart from time). Booking on the other hand can be harder, less enjoyable, and has a level of perceived ‘risk’;

● Even if you don’t know where to start, the internet and especially Google has enabled the most inexperienced traveller to seek out and access a broad range of travel resources with unique information – increasing self-confidence in ability to research and book a trip yourself in a very short time;

● Blogs, recommendations and itineraries from travellers are as recent as ‘today’ and can be accessed from a variety of sites;

● Recommendations increasingly are being sought out and are influencing decision making – with recommendations from “everyday travellers” who have posted reviews or itineraries, or rated hotels on sites like TripAdvisor, becoming a trusted resource for research and

8 Based on nine Focus Groups of 8 people each and 16 in depth interviews for a large Australian Travel business. Komosion mapped the triggers and constraints that impact the customer journeys of Australian travellers.

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planning;

● The internet and social media are increasingly engaging and rewarding for both dreamers and those considering or booking;

● The ease of finding resources sees most people regularly consult multiple sources.

Domestic Travel - Most Frequent Trips

● These are Australians’ most frequent trips – often visiting family and friends, short breaks or business trips or attending an event (show, sport etc.);

● Usually the destination and purpose/experience is known;

● Time / dates are specified in advance unless taking advantage of a cheap flight (opportunistic);

● Generally, a reasonable amount of flexibility to trade off flight times to save money;

● Accommodation needs vary – proximity (to experiences or work) is a strong driver along with cost and is generally booked before arriving in destination;

● Most research online and then book in a single event – not all trips require validation;

● Tours and other activities are generally booked on location unless it is a prior-booked event or show.

What's Important

● Cost – ability to compare best deals

● Efficiency of Process

● Engagement using storytelling

● Inspiration to conversion

4.2 The Role of Visitor Servicing

The role of Visitor Servicing was eloquently described by a stakeholder in the Grampians Tourism region to a review of Visitor Servicing:

“Marketing inspires visitors to want to experience the region and begins to build a relationship that leads to visitor servicing.

“Visitor servicing builds on the enthusiasm generated by marketing and enhances this with information about a range of relevant accommodation, activities and attractions that encourages the visitor to plan a longer stay in region.

Visitor Servicing seamlessly continues the relationship before visitors commit to travelling to region, as well as while they are in region.”

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He felt it was important for such visitor servicing information to be made available before people arrived in the destination, as well as once they were visiting. “Trying to increase length of stay when visitors are already in region is far harder than getting them to plan to have a longer stay,” he suggested.

He felt those responsible for visitor servicing should maintain a relationship after a visitor has left the region.

“This is to gather feedback (that is provided to marketing and product development as well as operators) and to encourage repeat visitation and build on aspirations to move to the region as long-term residents.”

A great example of the expanding role of visitor servicing is the collaboration between regions in New Zealand. The i-site network for example actively promotes other regions to visitors who are visiting their region. The ‘where are you going next?’ question can be useful in curating a fuller regional experience that has the potential to extend a visitors stay.

4.3 Implications for Regional Tourism StakeholdersTo move into a modern Omnichannel way of working, regional stakeholders will need to find a way to align resources and activities, ideally consolidating into a network with new expertise and shared systems supporting modern ways of working.

This will require competencies, capabilities and capacity that currently do not reside in any one place. There will be a need for a joined-up Strategy, a new Governance Model, and most likely start-up investment as well as a reallocation of existing resources.

It also may require additional research to understand specific visitor needs during planning and visiting, eg top line planning information in the early phases of planning vs specific recommendations from locals during the visit. The Strategy can then be designed to ensure:

Regions successfully market to potential visitors and “nurture” them through digital engagement and, in some circumstances, in person, including staying engaged over time;

All information will be easy to obtain during both planning and visiting phases and needs to be made easily accessible through digital channels, especially via mobile phones.

All people who have an impact on visit servicing are engaged from local business, to VIC staff and volunteers, to the broader community;

Any new governance model will need Stakeholder agreement to a culture of collaboration that champions a step-change in thinking (possibly via an enabling organisation) and a common commitment to activities against a timeline measured by key performance indicators. The goal in any change to visitor servicing models needs to drive economic benefit for the region and ensure the visitor is front and centre.

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5. Recent Visitation Research - Digital & PhysicalVisit Victoria commissioned research published in February 2019 to help regions better understand contemporary Visitor Journeys using a destination close to Melbourne and another farther away as proxies for day trip and overnight behaviours.

The research confirmed the value and relevance of moving to an Omnichannel strategy but also the importance some market segments place on existing VICs.

5.1 Intercept results (Regional/Metropolitan)A range of visitors to the Gippsland and Macedon Range and Daylesford regions were intercepted to better understand their journeys9. Insights included:

● More than nine in 10 people (92%) did some research in advance of their trip, and seven in 10 people (68%) looked for information during their trip;

● The top three information needs were things to do (73%), route and map information (72%) and advice on food and dining (64%).

The average visitor utilised 3.9 information sources as a component of their trip planning – 2.4 prior and 1.9 during the trip. Online sources were the dominant channels for information seeking: Four in five people (78%) searched online; one in two people (53%) visited a Review Website and two in five (43%) visited an official tourism website. Across all platforms, a high proportion of information seeking was characterised by ‘browsing’.

A full itinerary was rarely pre-planned and more than nine in 10 people (93%) left some scope for spontaneity in-region.

Personal recommendations from friends and locals were unrivalled in their capacity to deliver satisfaction and influence. Although used less often than online sources, such personalised information was rated highest on satisfaction and influence metrics.

The research highlights that visitors needed visitor servicing information before as well as during their visits.

1. ‘Things to do’ were sought equally by two in five people surveyed before (42%) and during (42%) the trip;

2. Almost one in two people surveyed (48%) needed accommodation information;

3. More than two in five people surveyed (43%) needed route and map information; and

4. Almost one in five people (18%) surveyed sought recommended itineraries.

Visitor Information Centres were frequented by one in five people surveyed (22%) during their trip.

Almost three-quarters of people who used a Visitor Information Centre were satisfied with the experience (70%) and more than half of those people (55%) said it had a meaningful influence on directing how they spent their time and money.

9 Quantum Market Research, Visitor Servicing Research Visit Victoria, Feb 2019. A 12 minute online survey: Lakes Entrance (n=141); Metung (n=35); Hanging Rock (n=55); Daylesford (n=169)

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There were niche audiences for whom Visitor Information Centres were relatively more important: migrants, first-time visitors and those who do not pre-plan.

However, all visitors, including these cohorts, are serviced by other information sources. Almost nobody (1%) exclusively visited an Information Centre to fulfil their information needs.

The Mornington Peninsula Visitor Journey report examined the visitor profile and experience data sourced from an intercept survey of peak holiday season visitors in 2019 and then compared with a non-peak visitor surveys conducted in 2015. The main purpose was to understand the experience of visitors throughout the peak summer period.

A large proportion of peak holiday season visitors do not use any formal visitor information during or prior to their trip, with 28% not using any information source and 27% using recommendation by friends and family. This is likely to reflect the large number of holiday home owners during this time of year who are repeat visitors, visitors staying in their friends and relatives holiday home, as well as visitors staying with permanent residents.

The preferred method of visitor information consumption by peak holiday season visitors is via smartphone (83%), which is 21% higher than identified by visitors in 2015 (62%). This demonstrates continued adoption of the smart phone as the key information source by visitors. Interestingly, the proportion of visitors wishing to use a physical visitor information centre (VIC) declined from 14% in 2015 to 7% in 2019. This reflects the growing preference for online information by visitors.

The continued dispersal of visitors across the Mornington Peninsula means that it is becoming increasingly difficult for physical information centres to adequately service the visitor population without going mobile and digital.

5.2 Consumer PreferencesRegional Victoria is currently Melburnians’ preferred short-break destination. As of the year ending March 2019, 61.7% of Melburnians had a preference to travel to regional Victoria (Roy Morgan, Holiday Tracking Survey).

The latest National Visitor Survey data (NVS) showed Melburnians made 9.2m overnight trips to regional Victoria in the year ending March 2019. Regional Victoria’s Visitor Economy continues to show strong growth, with the bulk of visitors and expenditure coming from the intrastate market, which is primarily from Melbourne residents.

The average length of stay for an overnight intrastate visitor to regional Victoria is 2.5 nights (National Visitor Survey, YE Mar’19). Regional Victoria is largely a short break destination that is a repeat purchase market – for those ‘in the market’, the average Melburnian took 4.4 trips to regional Victoria in the last year (Forethought Research, 2018).

However, we also know 54.1% of Melburnians have not made an overnight trip to regional Victoria in the last 12 months (Roy Morgan, Holiday Tracking Survey, YE Mar’19).

Research conducted in 2013 indicated that regional travel for Melburnians was about reconnecting, by taking a break from the roles, responsibilities and routines of day to day life.

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Triggers, drivers and barriers research confirmed this was still the case in 2018, with taking a break (40.1%) and spending time with friends and relatives (33.5%) the two clear underlying motivations for travel, ahead of experiencing something new (19.6%) (Forethought Research, 2018).

External research from TNS (Domesticate, 2018) highlights a growing trend to want to ‘get away from crowds’ when travelling intrastate, a factor for 51% in 2018 compared to 37% in 2017. Recent trends highlighted by Urban List suggest visitors are wanting more to disconnect.

Regional Victoria can offer a remoteness that is often not possible in cities. The desire to completely unplug from an increasingly connected world offers opportunity in targeted visitor servicing. Digital detoxing while travelling is on an upward trajectory and is growing among young travellers.

The challenge for stimulating overnight stays in regional Victoria is the distance from Melbourne. We know that overnight dispersal beyond the two-hour window is difficult when on limited time, but not impossible depending on the pull of the destination and uniqueness of experience.

6. Who is Doing What?Managing the visitor economy is a shared responsibility with many stakeholders contributing to outcomes.10 Economic development and job creation start with the private sector.

Businesses are also major partners in promotion and marketing activity that builds the brand and profile for a destination.

Government can help businesses to grow by creating the right conditions for private investment and also undertaking targeted strategic investments in projects that contribute to regional visitor economy growth.

In visitor servicing there are many vested stakeholders. In Victoria there are several projects that are testing new ways of doing things regarding visitor servicing. Yarra Ranges Tourism have introduced information screens at selected attractions that also count visitors and can SMS itineraries and information.

Murray Regional Tourism are testing virtual reality sets in VICs and augmented reality at different tourism locations. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism is introducing beacon technology deigned to help visitors disperse using QR Codes.

Both Murray and the Great Ocean Road have established LGA steering groups for developing various centralised visitor servicing models that embrace technology. Other regions are reviewing the way VICs operate, the location and the impact on the visitor.

6.1 Visitor Information to Visitor Servicing - everyone plays a roleThe variety of partners highlights the importance of collaboration and communication in realising visitor economy growth targets.

Local Government plays an important role in managing local development and supporting the visitor economy sector within its region.

10 Excerpted from: Why and how Local Government should engage with Victoria’s Visitor Economy. Produced by Victoria Tourism Industry Council Supported by Visit Victoria April 2018

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● Local tourism associations work closely with the community and around visitor needs;

● Regional Tourism Boards (RTBs) play a valuable role in coordinating and developing strategic, region-specific objectives. This includes identifying collaborative approaches around industry development to assist small and medium businesses to prosper;

● State-level industry associations, such as the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, provide private sector leadership and help build the skills and capacity of business;

● Major private operators, such as Melbourne and Avalon airports, provide critical services;

● The State Tourism Organisation, Visit Victoria, is the peak demand-driving body that leads the global marketing and promotion for Victoria and manages major coordination across the sector;

● The State Government provides research and policy development (TEVE);

● Tourism Australia plays a key role in international marketing and the Commonwealth Government manages many policy and regulatory settings affecting the visitor economy.

7. Visitor Servicing Key Areas for InspirationThe core visitor needs and key areas of Visitor Servicing have been identified in this statewide visitor servicing strategy as spanning:

7.1 InformationWe have identified Information as the currency of Visitor Servicing and it must be accessible during all stages of the visitor journey with rising customer expectations should now shape digital priorities.

Those providing information can’t just think of providing information that is friendly for use on mobile as a growing trend - it’s a requirement. Personalisation must balance the digital and human touch.11

7.2 PeopleBecause Visitor Servicing draws on people from across the entire community, it is critical that all stakeholders are engaged and aligned.

People play an enormous role in the visitor servicing space. Visitors place more trust in recommendations from locals and friends. Emotional connections are made through people. Good stories can compel people to change the way they feel, the way they think, the way they act and the 11 Consulting firm Deloitte summary of the themes emerging from its mobile consumer survey of Australians in 2017.

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way they behave. Stories bring energy to messages and can hold the visitors interest and compel them to act.

7.3 Experiences

Stakeholders need to understand visitors are not just interested in individual product - they are all participants in the “experience economy”.

The experiences available within a destination are the catalyst for driving visitation and need to be aligned with visitor interest, motivations and preferences.

Few phrases in the history of tourism have been co-opted by travel brands as much as “experiential travel.” Seemingly every company today operating in the hospitality and tourism sector is marketing itself as an experience versus a product, based on rising demand from consumers for more authentic and engaging travel experiences.

The most forward-thinking travel brands are delivering those types of experiences by focusing on three things above all else: inspiration, personalisation and a path toward self-discovery.

With contrived, packaged tourism losing its appeal, that begs the question: Who’s to say what is truly authentic travel? How much authenticity do today’s travellers want? How experiential or adventurous? And how can visitor servicing play a role to differentiate product as more experiential experiences amid an increasingly crowded travel landscape?

Some of the answers to those questions are found in consumer data. By tracking social media, website analytics, location data, blog comments, search metrics, traveller reviews, etc., the travel brand who thrives in tomorrow’s travel economy is the one most aware and aligned with their customers’ purchase behaviours and travel values.

8. Visitor Research RecommendationsWe need to better understand the visitor touch points and map the gaps in our visitor servicing strategy. Mapping Visitor Journeys, including touch points and gaps in the current servicing model against the needs of our targeted visitors. This research has already commenced in some regions. For example, visitor intercept surveys outside VICs with segmentation of markets based on visitor travel profiles can help a region plan a more integrated visitor servicing offering at all touch points.

8.1 Understanding and Mapping Visitor JourneysIt’s important to note one size may not fit all. Visitors from different segments seeking out different products and experiences may seek information and inspiration through different channels.

Questions we need to ask include:

● Who are our targeted audience segments and where and when do they require visitor information and related services? In other words, Who are our region’s Ideal Customers and what is their visitor journey and online + offline touchpoints?

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● What do we currently do against those requirements - are we providing services where and when they are required?

● What are the information, inspiration and experience gaps in our Ideal Customer's Visitor Journey? What gaps can our Organisation address?

● What insights, expertise and resources do we currently have?

● Do we understand emerging trends?

● Do we understand and engage with players in the share economy? Can we work with them to share insights and engage visitors on their journeys?

● Who else is supporting visitors in our region? eg Regional Tourism Organisation/Private Industry/Community Groups/Retail Traders/Local Residents

● Where and how can we support these people / organisations / groups with their visitor servicing activities?

● Are we consistent in our storytelling in the region? How do we work with surrounding areas?

9. Visitor Servicing: Challenges and Solutions

The views of a range of influential stakeholders in regional Victorian tourism on the challenges facing the Visitor Servicing model were canvassed in the 2018 Review and included the following perspectives:

“We set Visitor Information Centres up 30 years ago and have largely left them to wither on the vine. There’s virtually no integration into our marketing strategies; we’ve just left it to local councils,” said Felicia Mariani, CEO, Victorian Tourism Industry Council.

“We haven’t provided them with connection or communication to help them customise a service for their region or ensured they have the right resources to be the best they can be. This problem’s decades in the making. It won’t be solved without serious hard work, significant investment and sustained leadership from the State.”

Tracey Cooper, Chair, Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board, said Tourism is working well but servicing is not keeping up with the offering or the needs of the customer: “I don’t think we understand who the visitor is. We keep investing in hard assets and buildings which have a diminishing level of engagement. The positive is that we have a group of people in VICs who know how to service visitors. We need to get that to the industry. It’s not that the skill is not valid, it’s just the way we are delivering that skill is no longer valid. I’d like to see us working with all visitor touch points, ideally working hand-in-hand, rather than working independently.”

Paul Matthews, Head of Regional Tourism and Strategy at Visit Victoria, said while the organisation cannot own the digital landscape, it could influence it. “We need to get the right

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balance of digital complemented by face-to-face service when and where visitors need information or inspiration.”

Paul Albone, the Victorian Government’s Manager of Industry Support in its Tourism Events and Visitor Economy Branch, said there is no one-size-fits-all with Visitor Information Servicing. “If you have a well-designed Centre (and support services such as ambassadors, mobile or pop-ups), in the right location with excellent trained staff, you will have very satisfied customers that will spend more money and time and promote your destination for you.”

Liz Price, General Manager at Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism, said change is urgently needed – “a revolution not an evolution”. “We need to change behaviour and get everyone working towards the same goal. If our experience does not live up to visitor expectations, people will stop coming.”

Mark Francis, Chief Executive Officer at Murray Regional Tourism, said understanding the customer journey is pivotal. “We don’t have enough information today on what the customer wants.”

As can be seen from the challenges defined above, to be fully effective in information servicing we need a common approach - a proper Omnichannel engagement based on an understanding of key visitor journeys and an alignment of resources.

To achieve an omnichannel approach, strategies need to address the three key pillars of information servicing.

Core visitor needs include access to:

● Local expertise ● Personalised recommendations● Digital access● Traditional information resources (e.g. maps, printed collateral)

Most retailers now think about blended channels (Omnichannel) for communication and sales - digital and physical engagement with customers.

Successful retailers also understand how their customers think about their products and services and intercept and nurture them in a consistent and coherent way - information and sales are offered at multiple stages of their journeys via digital and face-to-face engagement.

We need the economy of scale and the coordination of a centrally managed retail network to deliver a timely and consistent Omnichannel experience.

We also need to create inviting, inspiring environments with cross-sell opportunities to increase spend, extend a stay and/or encourage return and positive referral for what our region has to offer.

“The sector is operating in silos - operators, tourism marketing and visitor servicing are offering overlapping services leading to a crowded market place that is both confusing for visitors and wasteful of resources.”12

Another review of Visitor Servicing described what needs to occur: “Visitors want information and inspiration in the right channel at the right time … Strategic provision of information at all stages of

12 The Future of Visitor Servicing, Grampians Tourism, Draft, Confidential, May 2019

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the trip cycle is key as visitors are looking for curated information, customised to their needs and requirements.”13

9.1 Review Existing Structure and Capacities Regional stakeholders who wish to operate in a an Omnichannel manner need to consider whether they have the systems, processes and expertise required before they act. They should ask themselves the following questions:

● Do we have the systems to get the right content to our target visitors at the right time?

● What systems and processes, expertise and resources do we need to execute an Omnichannel Visitor Servicing Strategy? For example, have we set up Knowledge Management, CRM, Marketing Automation and Customer Satisfaction software systems?

● What skills and culture do we need to maximises our reach and effectiveness when transforming visitor services to be more relevant in the modern economy?

● Do we have Business Process Engineers expert in self-service and automation technologies and Customer Relationship Management systems; Business and Data Analysts; Application Developers; User Experience Designers; and Graphic Designers literate in digital and physical design?

● Do we have a culture that supports agile ways of working, e.g. multi-functional and cross organisational teaming, Lean Design, Iterative Sprints and Test and Learn projects, etc?

● Do we have a Planning Cycle driven by Strategy and Insights and KPIs that informs Continuous Improvement and economic benefit?

9.2 Local Knowledge

Are we clear on the full range of market-ready and unique product the region has and what supporting emotional and rational content (inspiration and information) is available or required?

● Have we thought about when and where targeted visitors need it and how they can access it?

● Do we have a plan for collecting and refreshing local stories including by content type (images/audio visual/text) and communication channels?

● In other words, do we have a comprehensive Content Plan and Channel Plan?

● What are visitors saying / posting about their experience?

13 Geelong Visitor Servicing Strategy (DRAFT) 2018

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9.3 Storytelling

The evolution of the internet has seen consumers overloaded with advertising and brands. To cut through, it is vital to create an emotional connection with the consumer. Storytelling offers a way to connect with the consumer by moving away from ‘selling’ to developing engagement at an emotional level.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell,” says US Marketing Strategist Seth Godin.

Storytelling can occur across all levels, from a local producer telling their family’s challenges of building their business from scratch to a Regional Tourism Board sharing the lives of their community’s characters.

A good story inspires consumers, media and fellow tourism bodies to engage more extensively, driving increased visitation and engagement.

9.4 A supporting Brand Platform able to serve diverse needs

Regions need a Brand positioning platform that is broad enough to support marketing and visitor servicing needs covering a range of experiences and products. Ideally this should complement the states brand platform.

The positioning will need to adapt to support a range of diverse experiences addressing different audience segments with different information and related service needs. The Visit Victoria Find Your Happy space campaign is a perfect example of a communication platform that can be adapted to the diverse and unique offerings of any destination within the State.14

A Visitor Information Centre or Inspiration Hub should represent not just the local brand but also represent the region and state. This will help the visitor recognise not just the brand, but potential conversion platforms promoted through campaigns.

People in a region are the strongest connectors with visitors and represent the regions brand but can also help amplify marketing campaigns.

14 The Future Of Visitor Servicing, Grampians Tourism, Draft, Confidential, May 2019

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9.5 Develop Omnichannel Plans with an increased Digital focus 1516

1. A Regional Omnichannel Strategy aligned to an agreed Vision and Mission – and which identifies required systems, processes, expertise and assets - should be commissioned.

2. Further research may also be required to more comprehensively understand the journeys of primary segments of the targeted visitor audience, recognising the diversity of a region’s tourism offerings means one size does not fit all.

3. Assuming an Omnichannel Strategy is to be implemented, it needs to be executed to an agreed Governance and Business Model and be adequately resourced.

4. Various test-and-learn initiatives should be undertaken on the journey to implementing a full Omnichannel Strategy. Review other visitor test and learns visitor servicing projects.

9.6 Location and technologySuccessful Visitor Centres know many visitors will find the information and inspiration they need for their town/region, without ever stepping in their centre. Unless their centre is in a high traffic visitor location, or co-located within an attraction itself, visitor numbers will continue to fall. Also trial mobile, pop-ups and self-service technologies in other high traffic locations.

9.7 Create a “Wow Experience”: from Information to InspirationVisitors come to a destination for an experience and a Visitor Centre is often their first taste of the range of experiences on offer in a destination. To inspire, it should offer a “wow experience” in its own right.

After covering the foundations of brochures, personalised service, maps, toilets and WiFi, give visitors something to rave about, both on and offline.

Some regions may choose to evolve the design of Visitor Information Centres to become contemporary Hubs of Inspiration for visitors, local businesses and the community.

Some regions are already incorporating Virtual (Murray) and Augmented Reality (Geelong) within Visitors Centres and their outdoor Regional experiences. Within Centres, develop customer centric guidelines for the interior look and feel of VICs.

9.8 Be the Custodian of Regional Stories Stories that Visitor Centres could potentially curate and share include:

● People Stories – Indigenous, Early Settlers, Historic Figures, and Living Icons● Place Stories – Indigenous perspective, Geography, Geology, Flora, Fauna, History and

Heritage● Produce Stories – Local Industries, Food, Wine, Beverages, Craft, and Art

15 Recommendations 8.2-8.6 informed by and/or adapted from Tourism School, Rebecca White, December 2018 https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 16 This recommendation also draws on a Review of Visitor Servicing commissioned by Grampians Regional Tourism.

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Tell these stories through a variety of mediums (either high or low tech) based on the resources and space within a centre, including potentially through a retail offering. All human stories should also be captured in digital format for use in digital channels. And audio-visual formats with text overlays are becoming increasing important to reach people via digital channels. Stories can also play and important role in curating walking itineraries.

9.9 Close Experience GapsIdentify new opportunities where gaps exist to support the experiences available in the destination. Where market failure exists, and private industry hasn’t filled an experience gap or been able to activate a local public owned asset, those responsible for visitor servicing could fill an experience gap. Examples could include:

● Walking Tours● Bike Hire● Group Tours● Hop-on, Hop-off Transport

9.10 Residents, Retail + Service Provider EngagementAppreciate the important role played by residents, retail traders and supporting service providers when it comes to influencing visitors in a region. Ways of engaging these different groups include:

● An Education Plan. Help educate service providers, such as retail stores, service stations, bakers they are all are part of local visitor economy;

● A VFR Plan. Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) is a major market which drives significant visitation. Encourage and enable residents to become advocates of their region;

● An External Communication Plan. Engage local media and local government communication teams; seek out relevant community Facebook Groups and add value where possible, such as sharing info about upcoming events;

● Community Group Engagement. Engage local Progress Association/Retail Traders/Business Associations to support and cross leverage projects, events and other opportunities that activate the visitor economy;

● Open Days. Host open days at Visitor Centres or managed visitor assets to engage the local community.

9.11 Invest in Skilled Leadership● Ensure Visitor Servicing has skilled leaders able to take an active role in educating and

inspiring local industry and residents on the importance of the visitor economy for their town/region, so the whole region supports their visitor servicing goals.

9.12 Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement● Always ask 'why do we do what we do?’ Don't accept the status quo just because something

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has always been done that way, or it's too expensive or hard to change. Test and learn new ways of engaging visitors both on and offline. Learn what works best for your visitors, your community and the local visitor economy.

9.13 Tourism Industry Engagement Focus● Engage and collaborate with local industry via eNews; Industry and Staff product and

experience; In-house training for local tourism operators; Networking Events; Engagement with neighbouring visitor servicing teams; and Influencer Outreach.

● Develop skills in hospitality and programs to help businesses to become visitor ready.

9.14 Explore Revenue streams

Explore revenue streams but ensure you do not lose sight of the primary purpose – to enhance the visitor experience and grow the visitor economy. Be careful not to compete with industry or lose core visitor servicing focus. Revenue streams that Visitor Servicing teams use include:

● Industry Contributions; ● Booking Commissions;● Retails Sales + Gift Packages. ● Own Product Sales. ● Advertising Opportunities. ● Tours and experiences

9.15 Use VTIC Visitor Servicing Tool KitThe Victorian Tourism Industry Council has published a Visitor Servicing Toolkit to complement recommendations in this White Paper. This toolkit has been designed to assist regions deliver visitor services in new ways and includes a checklist on current visitor servicing and options to evolve at every stage of the visitor journey.

10. Operating Model Options How do we combine resources to deliver a consistent, Omnichannel visitor information service? We need to align resources to achieve an economy of scale.

We need to resist the impulse that might be summarised as “Shoot, Ready, Aim ...”

We need an Omnichannel Plan before we make major resource allocation decisions. That plan might also include trials and test and learn initiatives. We need to get Ready, take Aim and then Fire.

And, regardless of ultimate changes to our operating models, including any Visitor Information Centre closures, we need to reinvest money to make more of our scarce resources and ensure we continue to invest in developing people that support the evolution of visitor servicing.

10.1 Collective Impact Model

Stanford University’s Social Innovation Review publication has documented a model for collaboration between Not-for-Profits, government and the private sector called Collective Impact.

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Collective Impact Initiatives are a long-term commitment by a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem. Their actions are supported by a shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, and ongoing communication, and staffed by an independent “backbone” organisation.

Creating a successful collective impact initiative requires a significant financial investment: the time participating organisations must dedicate to the work, the development and monitoring of shared measurement systems, and the staff of the backbone organisation needed to lead and support the initiative’s ongoing work.

“The Backbone Support Organisation requires a dedicated staff separate from the participating organisations who can plan, manage and support the initiative through facilitation, technology and communications support, data collection and reporting, and handling the myriad logistical and administrative details needed for the initiative to function smoothly,” it says.

Under such a Governance model, LGAs could continue to invest in the visitor economy but to greater combined effect, including by pooling resources enabling a targeting of digital and, in particular, mobile as a key distribution channel for tourism information and inspiration.

The Collective Impact model makes the following recommendations for success:

10.1.1 A common agendaCollective impact requires all participants to have a shared vision for change that includes a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed actions.

10.1.2 Shared Measurement SystemDeveloping a shared measurement system is essential to Collective Impact. Agreement on a common agenda is illusory without agreement on how success is measured and reported. It also enables participants to hold each other accountable and learn from each other’s successes and failures.

10.1.3 Mutually Reinforcing ActivitiesCollective Impact initiatives depend on a diverse group of stakeholders working together, not by requiring all participants do the same thing, but by encouraging participants to undertake the activities at which they excel, supporting and coordinated with the actions of others. The power of collective action comes from the coordination of their differentiated activities through a mutually reinforcing plan of action.

10.1.3 Backbone Support OrganisationsThe backbone organisation requires a dedicated staff separate from the participating organisations who can plan, manage, and support the initiative through facilitation, technology and communications support, data collection and reporting, and handling the myriad logistical and administrative details needed for the initiative to function smoothly.

An enabling organisation would need to in-source expertise in Service Design, Customer Relationship Management practice and software and various other digital tools and systems for a period of time to build capability and culture.

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10.1.4 Continuous CommunicationDeveloping trust among non for profits, corporations, and government agencies is a monumental challenge. Participants need several years of regular meetings with each other to recognise and appreciate the common motivation behind their different efforts. They need time to see that their own interests will be treated fairly, and that decisions will be made on the basis of objective evidence and the best solution to the problem, not to favour the priorities of one organisation over another.

10.2 LGA Investment in Visitor Servicing beyond a VIC Successful Local Governments recognise the complexity and high demands of the visitor economy and work with multiple partners to achieve goals, including local businesses, tourism organisations and the community.

Local Government should be active across each of the areas below 17:

1. Visitor Economy Development: Strategic planning, infrastructure and amenity development, land use planning, investment facilitation and product development.

2. Visitor Economy Management: Visitor servicing, infrastructure and amenity maintenance, waste management and parking and wayfinding.

3. Visitor Economy Marketing: Destination branding and positioning and cooperative promotion and distribution (local and regional).

4. Visitor Economy Advocacy: State and Federal policy influence, local and regional priority identification and regional collaboration.

A performance driven partnership with an RTB is a critical success factor (ideally a multi-year service level agreement noting specific services and priorities).

Importantly, successful Local Governments work beyond their own boundaries, recognising that visitors do not see or travel based on boundaries and many areas, such as training and capacity building of local businesses, are better managed sub-regionally and with neighbouring Councils.

Having a value proposition for the community is an important step in the engagement process for the evolution of visitor servicing and understanding the benefits of the visitor economy. Real success is measured by the economic, social and cultural, and environmental outcomes the visitor economy can achieve for an area.

17 Why And How Local Government Should Engage With Victoria’s Visitor Economy, Produced by Victoria Tourism Industry Council Supported by Visit Victoria April 2018.

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11. Literature ReviewThe review included the following research:

● Visitor Servicing Research, Visit Victoria, February 2019● Visitor Information Servicing in NSW, Tourism Research Australia, June 2016.● 2018 Local Government Health Check, 2013 Local Government Health Check; and 2010 Tourism Health Check for

Victoria Local Government.● City of Melbourne: Visitor information services Global summary, 28 June 2017, EY Sweeney; Visitor Experience

Personas & Service Planning Storytelling (CityLab).● Discussion Paper: Macedon Ranges Visitor Servicing Review.● Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Board: Final GOR Visitor Engagement Strategy December 2016; I Am Your Host

(Strategy presentation); Visitor Servicing - A Strategic Discussion Paper for GORRTB; Future of Visitor Servicing - Board Discussion Paper.

● Geelong Visitor Servicing Strategy - Draft● Bass Coast Shire Council Visitor Information Centre Service Review, September 2015.● The influence of Western Australian visitor centres on tourist behaviour, Tourism Research Australia, September 2015;

Value of Visitor Centres.● VIC Futures Project Final Report, December 2013.● Victoria Accredited Visitor Information Servicing Guidelines, April 2018; VICs Fact sheet June 2017.● Murray Regional Tourism Board: Visitor Information Futures Discussion Paper, August 2017; Visitor Servicing

Transformation Proposal, Nov 2017.● A New Visitor Services Model for Alberta, January 2017.● Mapping the Travel Experience, Destination British Columbia, October 2017.● The Forrester WaveTM: Omni-channel Demand-Side Platforms, Q2 2017.● Visit Victoria: Attributes and Research Regional Victoria; Visitors to Victoria Experience Overview (March 2018); Website

data July 2018; Consumer Sites - Location Analysis; Digital Update Demand Management Platform Trials July 2018; Triggers, Drivers and Barriers Research Brief.

● Parks Victoria Park attributable tourism expenditure; 12 Apostles Visitor Centre at Night.● Grampians Pyrenees Wine Tourism and Culinary Masterplan 2017-2020● Economic Impact Analysis of the I-SITE Network, Prepared for: Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development,

September 2015.● VIS In Centre Survey Data June 2018; VIS Post Visit Data, June 2018.● Victorian Tourism Performance Overview year ending December 2017 & June 2018.● Regional Attributes and Research NVS_IVS Factsheet.● Why and How Local Government Should Engage with Victoria’s Visitor Economy.● Visitor Information Centres: Best Practice in Information Dissemination, CRC for Sustainable Tourism, 2007.● Visitor Servicing – US Traveller Mobile Use: A summary by Paul Matthews.● Mornington Peninsula Visitor Journey Research Report October 2015.● Best of Queensland Experiences (Katie Mills).● Skift Research: US Traveller in Destination Mobile Behaviour Survey 2018.● Canada Tourism Commission: EQ Toolkit, 2017.● The Future of Visitor Servicing, Grampians Tourism, Draft, Confidential, May 2019● New Young Consulting – Bronwyn White - 50 Plus Travel Research June 2019.

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