Published on Friday, 12 June 2020 at 9:55:29 AM
Greater efficiencies and synergies will be created as part of the Geraldton Visitor Centre Services co-location with the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery.
Voted by Councillors at the May Council Meeting, the decision was also informed by Community recommendations made through the Community Voice Project.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the decision to have a dual purpose for one of Geraldton’s most historic buildings was a great outcome.
“Visitor services continue to evolve with online platforms such as Trip Advisor, Booking.com and a huge range of other digital methods,” he said.
“We can liken visitor centres to CD shops, things are changing and we have to stay current and reinvent ourselves as much as we can.
“The community told us they wanted to see efficiencies and a decrease in the level of service provided by the Geraldton Visitor Centre and they made the co-location recommendation.”
The City’s Community Voice Project launched in 2019 with the randomly selected citizens jury component completed earlier this year.
Following a series of workshops, the 30 member jury made a number of recommendations regarding the range and level of 35 services the City provides, which included the co-location of the Visitor Centre.
There are opportunities for a longer-term strategy of the Geraldton Visitor Centre, with options to integrate with the future Museum re-development or Abrolhos Adventure’s ‘Fast Ferry’ as new tourism developments arise.
“We know that tourism may take some time to pick up, but with regional borders re-opening, we are already seeing an influx of visitors to our City,” Mayor Van Styn added.
“We are already on the front foot with a new tourism campaign, encouraging people in WA to explore their own backyard.
“Co-locating with the Art Gallery in one of our most iconic and historic buildings, opens up for a lot of synergies whilst increasing activation and an enhanced experience for people visiting both services.
“There is also ample parking being connect to the post office car park and just across the road from the parking behind McDonalds.”
The City, through its Economic Development Team, remains committed to supporting tourism by managing its online platforms such as visitgeraldton.com.au and social media.
The Visitor Centre currently located on Marine Terrace will remain open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm until its colocation at the Art Gallery in August.
Notes:
- The Visitor Centre hours mentioned in the media release are valid from this coming Monday 15 June 2020.
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