Building beneficial bonds to promote tourism and business
To celebrate Small Business Month, Bogan Shire Council held a Night at the Museum, to link local business and the tourism sector.
Bogan Shire Councils Abigail McLaughlin said the event was a “great success” which was “well-received” by local business people.
About 60 people from a range of local businesses attended the event which was funded by the NSW Department of Industry and was part of Small Business Month.
“I decided to have a night at the museum because the museum is probably our most visited tourist attraction, and a lot of Nyngan locals havent been,” Ms McLaughlin said.
“Its like when you have something on your doorstep you dont go.”
The aim of the event was to “forge a link” between the tourism sector and small business.
“Tourism is probably our third biggest money earner in Bogan Shire and I still think weve got a massive untapped potential there,” Ms McLaughlin said.
“It was really forming a chain between local business and the tourism sector so they can benefit each other.
“If the local businesses have a good understanding of what tourist attractions there are in town, they can direct people to our attractions, they act like mini visitor information centres.”
The museum is home to the councils Visitor Information Centre which saw 6000 people enter in 2017.
“On the flip-side if the Visitor Information Centre knows what small businesses are up too in town, we can better promote them to tourists,” Ms McLaughlin said.
Nyngan sits on the edge of the Outback Tourism Region which sees about 654,000 people visit every year.
“Were really well-positioned to capture tourists, anyone travelling to Bourke or Cobar or further – were on the way,” ms McLaughlin said.
“Country and Outback Tourism has estimated for every visitor that stays a night in town, they spend an average of $152.
“So its really worth targeting those people and trying to make them stay and it does take a whole-of-town approach.”
Ms McLaughlin said the Visitor Information Centre had been collecting data about where and how much money visitors were spending while in Nyngan.
“Were really trying to foster that awareness in town, the value of tourism to them."
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Nyngan Observer
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