Updating the ‘Aboriginal Experiences Highway’ idea
Future Materials: Technology for Competitive Advantage
November 3, 2006‘Wine by Brad’ – the big & small business of wine
November 3, 2006NSW is suffering a tourist drought blamed on bad marketing & Sydney’s emerging image problem
Marc ‘Aussie’-Stone has continued his battle to establish an Aboriginal Experience Super Highway in outback NSW with a ‘letter in reply’ to The Sunday Telegraph article ‘Tourists shun Sydney’ plus a covering letter to the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma. He is also responding to the desperation in articles such as The Sydney Morning Herald’s Farmers despair as rivers run dry and The Daily Telegraph’s ‘Nation’s heart fights to survive’.
Marc advises that Members of the NSW Parliament have been doing all they can to have the NSW bureaucracy cooperate but that they have been unable to produce any positive outcome.
The NSW Department of State Regional Development approached, then engaged, then paid Marc $10,000, to use his 35 years of international and grassroots, indigenous business development experience, to improve the Department’s prevailing poor success rate with Aboriginal businesses.
Marc’s ‘letter in reply’ to ‘Tourists shun Sydney’:
A colleague of mine, during the 8 years I was an Affiliate at the UNWTO (World Tourism Organism) started the “Silk Trail” This attracted many thousands of new quality tourists to inland Asia to areas where they had never been before. I was approached and then contracted by NSW DOSRD to find out what the problem was and to develop a solution. I saw that visitor numbers out of Sydney, across the Blue Mountains and into inland NSW rich with special interest attractions, animals, history, primary industries, opals, hot springs, unique to the world, and in Australia where ( currently) no wars are being fought, had not changed in 35 years. Still only 4% of 5 millions who arrive in Sydney go inland and those that do stay on average for 5 days. I gave them the “Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway” and 45 out of 45 delegates to the Bourke Public Meeting, in Sep 2003, said “Great idea, let’s do it.” 3 years later NSW DOSRD have buried the project. WHY ? Anyone who is interested can read all about it in the 7 pdf files on the front page of my web site www.aussiestone.com or go to the Community Action Development Newsletter www.pigswillfly.com.au and read the article published only yesterday headed Aboriginal Business Success Models. The State Government supports progressing inland NSW but apparently our State Bureaucrats do not.
In his letter to the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma, Marc says:
May I also point out that inland Australia is in serious drought. So surely every positive, practical, and viable initiative, to boost rural economies, and specially one that carries the offer of free publicity within the 800 overseas Travel Media Journalists network comprising the membership of FIJET (the oldest association of professional travel writers and journalists in the world, plus circulating to every personal email of the 600 leading global conservation Journalists, who attended with me, the WSSD, UN’s World Summit on Sustainable Development, warrants being fostered by the NSW DOSRD and not being buried, and not progressed, as the NSW DOSRD have done for the past 3 years. I ONLY ASK WHY ? But no one will say. )
THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW says Marc:
We know rural Australia is in economic crisis.
We know international visitor numbers are down.
We know visitor numbers to see all Australia’s, globally
unique, inland, tourist attractions have not increased in 35 years.
We know no one has anything to lose by supporting the
development of capped replicable viable business models and that
this is the way the game is played by private enterprise today.
We know that an offer of free global publicity for Australian
tourism attractions (properly presented) should not be ignored.
The ABC’s Landline have identified, in many of their rural stories,
that tourism can help underpin the economy of a rural community
in times of economic crisis and have indeed saved some towns.”
Watch this space for the latest from the battlefront!
For more info contact:
Marc Aussie-Stone,
0428 600 120
P.O.Box 185 Strawberry Hills, NSW, 2012
ruralprogress@netscape.net
4 Comments
The Editor,
I wish to express my views on the Marc Aussie Stone, ‘Aboriginal Tourism Super Highway Project.’
Firstly, I have been a, Tourism Marketing and Development practitioner, for the bulk of my career, which spans over 34 years working in the tourism industry. During this time, I have specialised in ‘launching and promoting’ tourist destinations, venues and services on an international and national basis. I have presented a paper on, Investment in Tourism,’ for Dominion Conferences, Singapore and I have been an advisor on Tourism, to governments in SE Asia, Sri Lanka and South Pacific.
In recent contractual assignments, I have specialised in Tourism and Economic Development in regional destinations for local shire councils in Australia, which included working along side respective state government agencies and tourist organisations. During my term working with a regional shire council in NW NSW, I became involved as a principal committee member with, ORTA (Outback Regional Tourism Organisation) and Kamilaroi Highway and the Great Inland Way Committees. In 2004, I was invited to attend a meeting that was embarking on the launch of the,’ Aboriginal Tourism Super Highway Project,’ in Bourke, NW NSW. At this meeting, I elected became a committee member of the project which was being funded by the NSW DSRD – Aboriginal Business Development Unit, and coordinated and directed by Mr Marc Aussie Stone, as a consultant for the project.
My prime reason for becoming involved with the project, was because it was supporting ‘Regional Tourism Development’ as well as, indigenous community development. Having extensive ‘hands-on’ experience, working in developing countries and regional destinations in Australia, as a tour operator and entrepreneur, I had a thorough understanding of what was required to launch and establish this project and how to achieve its objectives and therefore. believed it would work if managed correctly.
During my experience in the industry, I have observed the lack of government and tourist authorities’ support to regional tourism development in Australia. I have therefore accepted and enjoyed the challenge, to become involved in the development of regional destination in Australia. This part of our country, has the most interesting and treasured features such as, pioneering history, un-parrelled scenic beauty and unique flora and fauna on display, as well as indigenous cultural and art, which can only be experienced in its natural environment. To develop regional destinations, it requires people who believe in making a destination a viable tourist venture, be entrepreneural and make it happen. Unfortunately, our government and respective tourist authorities dont employ such people to work for them, so the must rely on such individuals from private enterprise, to do the initial ground work to make it happen, before they ‘attach themselves,’ by means of promotional and monetary support. This is,’ third work thinking ‘ to say the least, and I have experienced this same mentality in developing countries where I have worked extensively.
In general, Australian Tourist Authorities together with the ministerial tourism principals, are ignoring the real reasons as to WHY, Australia has incurred a ‘dramatic drop ‘ in tourist traffic especially from the Japanese, Korean and Asian markets? I believe that our tourism industry needs to ‘step-back’ and seriously review what they are doing wrong. One major factor that I can identify, is that our tourist authorities are ignoring the need to ‘offer new interests,’ to our international visitors such as ‘experiences to the REAL AUSSIE OUTBACK, to ‘taste, feel and experience ‘ a true slice of what Australia has to offer OTHER than, our coastal beaches, Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast. These tourist destinations have been, ‘flogged-to-death,’ over the pst 25 years ! We have to change this ‘monotinous promotional campaign,’ and offer a ‘NEW SIDE’ of what we have to offer our international visitors, such as the Outback Regional destinations. Tourist authorities have to stop ‘highlighting ONLY our coastal areas,’ in their promotional campaigns, as their efforts to date, have ‘brain-washed’ the international communities to believe that Australia ONLY has beaches to offer visitors. Tourist authorities have to be more empathetic and learn to understand that not ALL PEOPLE like beaches and seaside experiences, ( in fact very few senior tourists actually, go for a swim at the beach, they just take photos).
When I was advised that the Aboriginal Tourism Super Highway Project was ‘abandoned’ by the NSW DSRD, my mind immediately reverted to my experiences with the government tourism projects in developing countries, that were also ‘abandoned,’ after I completed my contractual commitments to establish and launch each of the projects. One can only presume, that is the reason that the NSW DSRD management ‘abandoned’ this very viable project after, Marc Aussie Stone, completed his contractual commitment, i.e. DSRD did not have staff or management with the experience, entrepreneural flair nor expertise to manage the ongoing process of thee project. Why did they not call upon Mr Stone to assist them, if they were ‘waining’ in their own efforts ?
We need projects such as the ‘Aboriginal Tourism Super Highway,’ so that our Tourism Authorities and government. can have ‘something in regional Australia’ to add as an ‘ exciting NEW tourist attaction,’ to their ‘advertising and promotional campaigns,’ instead of going down the same ‘old path’ and JUST promoting our coastal beaches and Barrier Reef. There is a lot more to Australia than that.
Yours sincerely
Alexander Lubanski JP
A very valuable observation at this point – I hope ‘someone’ in a government tourism authority will comment??
The Editor,
Fran Bailey , Federal Minister for Tourism, who represents the Regional Victoriam Electorate of McKewan has just been reported in the Sydney News Ltd Press November 7, 2006, as saying, “that Australians taking a holiday in Regional Australia this XMAS would be a win win situation for everyone. By holidaying in the fabulous Darling Downs or Dubbo you and your family will have a fantastic and relaxing holiday exploring all that Australia has to offer. Every dollar you spend in regional Australiua helps local communities badly affected by the drought, boosting sustainability in our regions”. It further said in the same article “Promotional films airing on Television in the “My Australia Campaign”, and in Cinemas and online, feature the Australian travel experiences of TV personalities.
I say that this “My Australia Campaign” is another pointless umbrella campaign, that rationalises, that if you seek to have Australians feel good about holidaying in their own country, that that is what they will do. “Fran said “It aims to encourage Australians to forgo the overseas holiday in favour of a great holiday in our own national backyard.”
But I ask you , and of course only those of us who are blooded commercial marketers with any real experience in whats been going on, for year after year after year, in inland Aussie rural and regional tourism, and who have seen the thousands of taxpayer dollars spent on continuing “Go See Australia” campaigns would be able to understand what I am about to say.
Alex Lubanski opened the right commercial door when he said, “To develop regional destinations, it requires people who believe in making a destination a viable tourist venture, be entrepreneural and make it happen. Unfortunately, our government and respective tourist authorities don’t employ such people to work for them.”
Imagine if you ran a a campaign ” Go shop in Melbourne this XMAS” . Why would you do it ? But if you buried a $20,000 gold bullion bar secretly in inland NSW and set up a treasure hunt with maps with the clues available at cooperating inland Australia’s hotels , motels and caravan parks, and the prerequisite being that you had to have one family meal, stay one night in each of the participating country towns and venues, and pass specific local competitions at these venues, plus attach a photo of your family at well known historic inland icons, the Black Stump, Bourke’s Inland Fish traps, with the Koalas at Dubbo Zoo, with an Opal Miner besides his mine at Lightning Ridge, and so on, with the additional prize of having the winning family, be known forever, as Australia’s Smartest Family in 2007, and appearing on “A Current Affair” you could reasonably expect some “movement in the stockyard because the word had got around”.
What I am saying is that people take holidays because of destination packages and specific attractions and local evening programs and activities to do and so on.
What the Aborigibnal and Outback Experiences Super Highway will do is, for the first time, show the way for properly arranged outback travel. It will make it possible for visitors travelling this 1000k road out of Sydney , quickly passing through the Blue Mountains, since there is nothing much there except guest houses, and on to Mudgee for the first one weeks, rich rural experience stay. Then on to Coonabarabran for another rich exzperiences week and then Walgett for another week and finally to Bourke for the final week and returning back through Dubbo, Orange Bathurst and back to Sydney.
The other aspect of travelling this road is that those that complete the journey will have experienced every cultural, music, dance, history, belief, aspects of one of the world’s greatest indigenous races, our very own Australian Aboriginal people. The .pdf files on http://www.aussiestone.com only give you the smallest glimpse of the rich experience waiting the special interest traveller both overseas and domestic. And this is the intellectually curious, longer staying, market, spending at least $300 a day on meals, accommodations, tours and evening entertainments. This market is 8% of the global market and growing every year and it oiffers inland Australis an unbelievable new economy boosting development opportunity. So says i who has spent 40 years , more than 50 around the world tours, serving in rural villages and areas in Africa, Asia and the Pacific ,6 years as CEO of an Affiliate of the World Tourism Organisation and three years on the Board of the World Travel Journalists Association.
Fran Bailey please forget bikinis and bodies and bad language and help us get on with the completion of this first, show the way “Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway” .
The “Silk Trail” across Asia set up be a friend and colleague of mine has been a global winner. I can guarantee favourable free global publicity for the Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway if only the NSW DOSRD will let me complete it properly. And goodness only knows why they changed its “intellectual property” name and froze me out and went off and buried the idea. They will not say why. And now they must surely be only embarrasing the NSW Minister for Small Business and Regional Development by not doing as he asks and answering my questions.
We will only succeed in developing Australia when we all work together and not by setting one against the other. If you go to the “ABC’s “Landline Site” and do a search for tourism related stories you will read how special interest tourism in Rural australia has truly saved some rural communities.
What is the problem with our bureacracy that they can’t work with successful private enterprise ? Why do they approach, then engage, and then pay a person $10,000 if they have no further interest in their findings and originations, and those being unanimously endorsed by all 45 participants present, questioning and listening,
Edward De Bono , one of the globe’ s greatest lateral thinkers, puts it this way, in his book . “We are as locked into our Institutions and structures as we are to our beliefs. The paradox is that as we move forward into the future there is more need for change than ever, yet there is less room for change, because everything is locked into position. Bureacracy’s were never designed as change mechanisms but to implement things as they are. So where change requires vision and enterprise, but must also pass through a bureaucracy, the outcome is rather likely to be negative.”
There is NSW State Election coming in March 2007. and the Fedral Elections to follow. I am sure Minister Campbell and Minister Fran Bailey wants only positive outlooks going forward for their re-election. How can we help them enjoy that ?
What do you have to say about all of the above ?
Marc Aussie-Stone
Phillip Diprose has written and asked ” Where were the Aborginal Trading Trails ? ”
I replied to him.
Hi Phillip,
Thank you for reading the PWF story, thank you for responding and thank you for your question.
Were the Aboriginal people ever “Traders” ? Was there ever an Aboriginal Trading route ? It would surprise me if there ever was an Aboriginal Trading Route.
The corollary I sought to present by relating the story and success of the Silk Trail as a viability underpinning comparison for the Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway was as follows.
Special Interest tourists like to have an intellectual reason for traveling. Provide that in the niche, special interest, created special interest, area or activity, that interests them, attracts their interest to travel.
My brief, when engaged by the NSW DOSRD was to determine why, the Department wasn’t having a lot of success with its Inland Aboriginal business developments. As I travelled along the designated road from Sydney across the Blue Mountains and on and out into the designated areas to Bourke and Brewarrina I found that no matter how good an Aboriginal business in that area may be, that there was not enough available, supporting, commercial, customer traffic, to make these businesses viable. By that I mean if you take the best, most successful Sydney Restaurant and locate it in the middle of the desert it will go broke.
On the other hand the further , and more that I travelled along the designated route, it hit me that, collectively, along the designated route, there were many distinct components, when viewed one at a time, that would, could, collectively tell, almost the, whole story of a famous indigenous culture. And so a new idea was born. The Aboriginal and Outback Experiences Super Highway. The sum of the total experiences being in itself a total story about an amazing, 40,000 year surving culture.
While to travel the Silk Trade Trail gave a reason for travellers to travel a route , and through some pretty dusty outback areas, and worked, since each bazaar in itself was unique, the Aboriginal Experiences Highway gave a reason to start in Sydney and complete the whole journey.
Again this is not to suggest that the same concept could not have followed another route but as I put it in my Trail Rationale ,pdf on http://www.aussiestone.com you can’t develop everywhere at once and we need to ensure that there is a first Experiences Highway that works for the Traveller.
Have I answered your question ? can I explain anything else to you ?
kind regards Marc Aussie-Stone