Industry Development
Education and Mentoring
Case Study

Objective
An intensive industry development program:

• To increase the skills and professionalism of the Sapphire Coast tourism sector through improved marketing, promotion, and industry development initiatives.
• To enhance the region’s competitiveness as a tourism destination for people with access needs.

Background
Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing is the peak tourism body for the Bega Valley Shire, delivering destination management services under contract to the Bega Valley Shire Council.

In December 2019 devastating bush fires destroyed lives and property on the NSW south coast. The tourism sector was badly affected.

This project was an initiative of Bega Valley Shire Council and was funded by The Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLER) Package as part of the $4.5 billion bushfire support program. This was co-funded by the Australian and NSW governments for bushfire recovery, response, and preparedness in NSW.

Approach
The project began with a 4-hour masterclass to educate tourism operators on the accessible tourism market and the opportunities for businesses to improve their offering. This included provision of marketing information on accessibility and examples of best practice access statements for use on their website.

As a result of attending the masterclass, operators were offered the opportunity to take part in a mentoring program.

The mentoring program included a ‘walk and talk’ access audit of their property accompanied by a staff member. The audit covered all areas of the premises and the customer experience. Key access issues were identified, and recommendations were made to achieve the greatest level of accessibility possible. A report was provided and follow up mentoring sessions made available.

Four 2-hour workshops were held across the region on customer service. This training enables staff to feel confident and comfortable when interacting with customers with disabilities.

Outcomes
Fourteen operators took part in the mentoring program. The outcomes for each business were to understand the barriers to access, plus suggestions for quick, easy low-cost fixes and longer-term ideas for renovation. They were able to build on assets to become a more accessible and inclusive business. Operators and staff have a higher level of disability awareness and can cater to the Accessible Tourism sector.

 Quote
“Inclusive Tourism delivered a series of intensive masterclasses and workshops, and one-on-one mentoring program to tourism operators in the Bega Valley. Melissa’s expert knowledge, hands-on experience, professionalism and commitment to improving Accessible Tourism exceeded our expectations. Her advice and detailed program meant we could confidently roll out our industry development program to operators. The masterclasses were very well received by industry and the mentoring program supported 14 individual businesses across the Shire with fantastic feedback. Thank you Melissa for your support, we will most certainly be in touch when future opportunities arise.”  Rhys Treloar, Tourism Manager, Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing, 2023