Comments for Flinders Ranges Tourism Operators Association

Comment on Help Willow Springs Save Skytrek by Brian

Brian — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:55:54 +0000

We would suggest that those interested in the “Skytrek” issue visit the
website of the Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallaby Preservation Association Inc:
http://www.yellowfoot.org.au for balancing information.
There is a lot of incorrect information currently being published.
A major point of interest is that on a per vehicle basis the YFRWPA Inc
Licence costs have always been under (and still would have been under) $10
per entry.”
The Membership has no desire to deny public entry to the property and steps
are being taken to ensure that continued access will be available.

The Committee YFRWPA

Comment on Join FRTOA now for great advertising opportunity by copley.caravanpark@activ8.net.au

copley.caravanpark@activ8.net.au — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:27:15 +0000

Thanks Bron
Keep up the good work

Comment on Industry Development Executive, Tamara, here to help! by Tamara Modra

Tamara Modra — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:37:47 +0000

Hi Denise
I will give you a call to discuss, but no you don’t need to have online bookings to be on the southaustralia.com website.

Cheers
Tamara

Comment on Industry Development Executive, Tamara, here to help! by Denise Carpenter

Denise Carpenter — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:29:55 +0000

Tamara
Re your phone call this morning. Can a business be on this site without ‘on line bookings?’

Denise
Ph 86484299 bus hours or0428847175

Comment on Revealing a National Landscape – 2010 Project (Completed) by Giancarlo Truffa

Giancarlo Truffa — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:19:43 +0000

The Flinders Ranges area are an absolute must see for any Italian visitor to South Australia. The scenery is stunning, the roads are in good condition and a wide range of accommodation is available so the Flinders do “tick many boxes”. I believe the major issue would be access and the current lack of Italian touring. Hawker airstrip should be improved and so that regular air service can be provided and the Flinders start getting more internation recognition. Moreover, I believe that Italian speaking guide touring from-to Adelaide on a regular basis would also help grow visitation from this market.

Comment on Revealing a National Landscape – 2010 Project (Completed) by peter cahalan

peter cahalan — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:24:40 +0000

Hi Janice
It’s great that a third member of our European area international staff have contributed to this debate. Your focus on the relentless pressure which short trip times for internationals puts on us to come up with really strong, compact ideas and experiences is really useful. We can do more to promote the compact touring experiences which some of our best tour operators already offer. One example is Aaron Morgan’s one-day Adelaide-retrun package which has the customer fly to Pt Augusta, cruise up to the head of the Gulf, drive to Wilpena Pound, fly over it and get back to Adelaide all in a long day. This sort of package underlines our competitive advantage as the accessible Outback which you point to.

Comment on Revealing a National Landscape – 2010 Project (Completed) by peter cahalan

peter cahalan — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:16:36 +0000

Great comments, Angelika. You touch on several issues which I continue to grapple with. Our core offering has been distilled down to something likke ‘getting up close and personal with an ancient landscape’. That’ancient landscape’ term has been a constant with us over the last four years, emerging out of both the Mountains of Memory and FRO regional tourism plan. Its origins in part at least relate to our desire to focus on the geoology and fossils of the region.
I focusing increasingly on the ‘international’ market -which of course also includes huge numbers of Austalians who these days prefer to travel abroad than around their homeland – I keep thinking that ‘ancient landscape’ is a bit too weak. The resonant word for our audiences is ‘Outback’. We’re a subset of the Outback and many of our intending visitors will start their decisionmaking process with a desire to see ‘the Outback’ and only then will drill down to which part of it they’ll plump for.
‘Outback’ is a handy word because it’s packed with meanings already. On the one hand it’s about landscapes. On the other it’s about a culture and way of life. So it brings together the human and natural aspects of our offering.
I’m inclined to add the adjective ‘accessible’ in behind ‘Outback’ because that does position us well against other regions in the Outback basket of goodies -Kakadu, Kimberleys and Red Centre National Landscapeas especially.
I support also your inclusion of the coast in our key ideas. I accept entirely that we’re we are now with coastal experiences is well behind the core Wilpena Pound/Arkaroola offerings which have been key to SA’s tourism offering for at least 40 years (Arkaroola) and much longer for Wilpena. So the coast will stay secondary for a fair while to come. But the EDS is about longterm development and positioning. So I’m keen to see Port Augusta especially develop as a great water-based experience and I’d also like to think that the Pt Pirie -Pt Germein -Pt Augusta gulfside route could develop more assets to offer tourists travelling that part of the Explorer’s Way-FR Hero Route.
I find it really valuable to get insights from people like yourself, Angelika, who know our region but live, work and service customers who like you live so far away.

Comment on Revealing a National Landscape – 2010 Project (Completed) by Dawn Hawthorn-Jackson

Dawn Hawthorn-Jackson — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:31:20 +0000

Many thanks for allowing me the opportunity to comment.

It is fantastic to see the Flinders Ranges being recognised for its importance and value. A few minor comments:

1. It is good to see that the EDS supports experiences for people with different needs e.g. low cost, higher cost, adventure, relaxation etc.

2. It is important that the national landscapes initiative supports the local Mountains of Memory initiative. It seems to me that there is a real opportunity for State, Federal and Local governments to invest in the Mountains of Memory initiative to ensure that a number of national initiatives are realised.

3. Local ownership and support is important to ensure great success.

Congratulations everyone for all your hard work and commitment.

Comment on Revealing a National Landscape – 2010 Project (Completed) by Angelika Wegner SATC Germany Marketing Manager

Angelika Wegner SATC Germany Marketing Manager — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:01:20 +0000

Thanks for this intense report. Lots of thinking has definitely gone into it and I do agree to several ideas and concepts. Yet, I would like to add some remarks from the “International” Perspective.
1. Working with the international traveller, I want to point out some dot points:
- The international Experience Seeker has 3 major decision making approaches: Timing / Cost / Experiences:
Timing: with an average of 3 – 4 weeks of possible holiday, most customers want to include into their Australian journey as many experiences/landscapes as possible. Let’s face it: South Australia is not yet a “first-timer” destination – if a customer really comes to South Australia on his first trip, more than 3-6 days of stay in the state are not realistic. Given the fact that Kangaroo Island is currently the main internationally visible SA icon, the Flinders Ranges might get a share of maybe 3 days if lucky.
Therefore, the brand message will have to be very strong in order to capture the traveller’s interest. A brand strategy focussing on the Fossil aspect mainly will not be strong enough as it is far too niche for International Travellers. To put it cynically: why should a German fly thousands of miles to Australia in order to see fossils when they have got some of the best fossil sites in their own country (not to speak of the Neandertal man…). Don’t get me wrong: it is a nice-to-have add-on to a journey in the Flinders Ranges but it will surely not reflect the exciting diversity of the region and its most attractive USPs: WILDLIFE, NATURE, OUTBACK LIFE and PEOPLE! (and yes, let’s not forget that the ocean is not too far either..) – where is the link between ancient life traces and nowadays abundance of life in the region?
Costs: we have to face the fact that (not only) international travellers will become more and more cost-sensitive and they will look for the best value of experience versus money spent. Even if we forget about the impacts of the current unfavourable exchange rate situation, this attitude of the internationals will certainly not change but become even stronger. The cost factor is unfortunately not an issue that has been addressed in this report at all. Instead even further suggestions regarding high-end products have been made.
I personally think that the big advantage for the Flinders Ranges would be to position itself as a region where travellers would get great experiences and value for acceptable rates (of course keeping in mind the cost pressure that TO and accommodation owners are under but that is a fact that can be transported to the travellers easily). Therefore, moderate mid-range accommmodation and reasonable touring rates will become key! By the way: this is one of the main USPs for all the U.S. landscapes that were mentioned in the report, next to infrastructure. (It is not a surprise that the U.S. is currently our strongest competitor and International Wholesalers are expanding their US programs – given the favorable exchange rate but also the broad variety of moderate offers)
Experiences: as stated above, the International Travellers has limited time and budget (let’s forget our favourite travellers….the tiny group of high-end clients… for a moment) and they want the most intensive experience for that. Now, what does an International Traveller think of when he/she thinks “Australia”: definitely NOT an Ediacaran Fossil! Sorry to say that. (Besides that would such a specific theming surely raise the question of language barriers – when it comes to specific information like flowers, fossils, etc, many customers will reach their language capacities – this might demand guides with foreign languages)
They rather seek Wildlife, Nature/Landscape, Outback and People. They do not think about spending a holiday to attend an event, unfortunately, most of them do not even think about going on a week-long hike or bike ride (as we experienced in the last years again and again when trying to introduce walking / biking tour packages into Wholesaler programs – believe me: they do NOT sell!)
Yes, there are some hiking tracks in the World that are famous and do attract travellers but we are definitely looking at small numbers and PLEASE: do not compare the Milford Sound Track to the Flinders Ranges. We must learn to admit that some landscapes do offer a variety of breathtaking insights (Sea, Mountain, Rain Forest…) that we cannot match and that is not even necessary as the Flinders Ranges is a stand-alone landscape of its own. I personally doubt in trying to match our SA regions and experiences to other areas in the world – Tourism Australia has been doing it for years in the international markets and the more or less static visitor numbers tell their own story (despite the fact that apparently almost every international visitor mentions Australia as his/her dream destination…).
In order not to annoy you with too much further comments, here my main remarks to certain points in the report:
- Brand Message – I think I expressed my opinion that for an International Market a too strong focus on the Ediacaran Fossil will not drive visitation with the above remarks (might be interesting to see what similar regions in the world would report about visitation figures – not talking about travellers that were in the region anyhow…) Besides, this message does not really match with the existing products in the region.
- National Landscape: let’s not forget that this is a brand that has been developed domestically – it is NOT an internationally relevant trade mark. If we really want to surf on such a branding “wave” we will have to think about suggesting the Flinders Ranges to UNESCO for World Heritage Landscape as this is the real interesting trade mark for an international traveller (if at all….). This comment of course is not considering what impacts such a status would create for the region. I do live in an area that is World Heritage listed and this status has quite some downsides, too…
- Event - no travel decision factor for an international traveller to travel to the Flinders Ranges
- Target Group: the Experience Seeker is certainly a profitable and more-than-welcome guest for us but let’s not forget the young travellers. They will be the one to have time enough to spend more time and many of the suggested experiences will be especially attractive for them!
- Suggestions for touring experiences:
Air Products: surely attractive for travellers with less time and bigger income; not attractive for cost-sensitive and eco-friendly travellers (becoming more and more a strong decision factor for long-haul travellers!). Rather than penetrating the Flinders Ranges with planes and helicopters in “masses”, why not think about building up a brand message about an eco-tourism and environmentally concsious tourism region?
Selfdrive: definitely a Key Factor for Travellers. I definitely agree with the suggestion of better infrastructure (sealed roads, possibly more gas stations, better signage, etc.) but key will be how rental cars will handle driving on (currently mainly) unsealed roads. The majority of customers travel by 2-wheel cars and normal campervans – they do need safe roads and conditions.
Hiking/Biking Tracks: surely a great value for the region and attractive if offered in a soft-adventure style. I am convinced that customers will pick up short touring offers and here I see great opportunities to develop specific scenic and themed tracks/trails. But again: rather concentrate on the short offers around the different regions/towns/stations.
Volunteer Programs: great if we want to transport the eco-message but will also only attract few and young travellers. Mature travellers who are interested in something like that seek community-based or even medium-scientific projects.
Event: again – NO international tourist (except he/she is a “Fossil” Fan and member of similar societies or leagues..); the only exception might be a conference for scientists / fans that could work as a PR drawing card.
Finally, I would like to point out that we should really focus on the message that the Flinders Ranges is the perfect combination of ancient landscape / unspoilt Outback scenery / abundant wildlife and nature / and great people. Let’s not focus on one of these USPs only but spread out the message to travellers that nowhere in Australia they will be able to experience this diverse Outback scenery including easy access to the ocean.
As for the experiences, I believe that the Selfdrive touring will be the strongest drawing card for the region. Developing a better infrastructure will be key for that. A program of self-guided and guided touring could be set up for the travellers by each town or area to explore the region and its many points of interest. (Let’s not start argueing about which towns / areas should be included more or less – we all know that each town and place in the Flinders Ranges is able to offer a great gateway to experiences and adventures for the travellers.) These offers could all be added to one major experience “catalogue” under the brand identity.

Comment on Revealing a National Landscape – 2010 Project (Completed) by Colin Davies

Colin Davies — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:55:42 +0000

As CEO of The Flinders Ranges Council, I am concered about the lack of acknowledgement of the numerous experiences on offer in both Quorn and Hawker. Quorn and Hawker are both historic towns of some note within the Flinders Ranges and are today the main service centres for tourists from any location (both international and national). Quorn has more experiences for the international visitor than Port Augusta, which strictly speaking is in the Outback region not the Flinders Ranges!

I understand that the focus of the EDS is on the “International Experience Seeker” so I have restricted my comments accordingly:
Quorn and Hawker are accessible for visitors by road from National Highway 1, Main North Road, R M Willams Way and Barrier Highway. Quorn and Hawker are accessible for visitors by air at Hawker aerodrome (sealed, PAL, fuel, toilets, waiting room), Quorn airstrip and the regional airstrip at Port Augusta. Quorn is also accessible by rail from Port Augusta via the Pichi Richi Railway. There are scheduled bus services from Adelaide to Quorn and Hawker and from Port Augusta to Quorn.

The landscape of the Flinders Ranges around Quorn and Hawker is as good as and more accessible the Wilpena zone and has additionally has recognised experiences such as the Pichi Richi Railway, Morgan’s Panorama, Pichi Richi Camel Tours, Bush Pilots Air Charter Tours, Four Winds Cultural Guiding, numerous 4WD tour operators and an abundance of walks and cycle trails. These are established experiences, not promised ones! These businesses already attract international visitors. Adventure Tours has its base in Quorn, as it recognises the significance of the town to its international clientele.

Both Quorn and Hawker have a full range of services for international visitors (shops, fuel, food and accommodation, libraries (with internet), public swimming pools, post office, bank agents, newsagents, chemists, hospitals and cafes).

Couple of reminders to the consultants drafting the EDS: the logo is owned by FRTOA and its use is restricted and Mountains of Memory is owned by FRTOA having been commissioned by them with the aid of a grant. At the very least this should be acknowledged. National Landscapes did not contribute to either as is implied in the document and all such references and inferences should be removed.

Quorn should be a first tier town (if necessary, replacing Port Augusta) as should Hawker, both being major service centres for tourism.