SCT Board's first meeting - Merimbula News Weekly report
The management of tourism marketing and promotions in the Bega Valley Shire is now under the control of an independent management company called Sapphire Coast Tourism Limited.
The company's nine-member board was officially appointed on Friday.
The members are Bruce Leaver (chair), Geoffrey Morrissey (deputy chair), Gordon Beattie, Barry Harrison, Lyn Mott, Adrian Sandrey, Tim Shepherd, Grant Webster and council representative, Cr Tony Allen.
In recent years Bega Valley Shire Council has implemented a restructuring of tourism marketing and promotion based on the premise that the tourism industry is best placed to manage its affairs.
A number of arrangements were put in place with industry bodies to manage aspects of council's former Sapphire Coast Tourism operation.
These arrangements were funded by council and included the operation of Visitor Information Centres in Merimbula, Eden, Bermagui and Bega, Sapphire Coast Tourism promotions and marketing, Cruise Eden and the SCT Booking Service.
Committed work by a number of groups such as the Eden Chamber of Commerce, Bermagui Chamber of Commerce, Bega Cheese and the Bega Valley Shire Business Forum has enabled operations to continue to develop during this period," said a council spokesperson.
The establishment of the independent body was a recommendation from an industry forum held in April, 2007, and agreed and managed by council and the business forum over the intervening period.
The Mayor, Cr Tony Allen, who is the council representative on the company's Board of Directors, said he was delighted with the first meeting of the new company.
"Council has placed the industry in a strong position to move forward positively, building on the past work of Sapphire Coast Tourism staff and, in the last year, the enormous efforts of the Bega Valley Shire Business Forum.
"We are very fortunate to have so many highly credentialed people prepared to give their time to fostering the tourism industry in the shire," he said.
"Each member of the Board brings his or her own unique and relevant skills into play and the result was evident at the first meeting.
"There is already action on creating a new website, producing an attractions publication, management decisions about the Visitor Information Centres across the shire as well as marketing and promotion opportunities."
The Board was keen to embrace the opportunities provided by the recently announced Wilderness Coast inclusion in the National Landscapes initiative.
Cr Allen said the new company's articles of association included clear corporate governance guidelines as to how the body should relate to the various elements of the community.
Council will provide $150,000 in the coming budget for the operations of the new body and will hold a further $50,000 in reserve for use by the body if required.
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