Excellence award for the warmest of welcomes

Stanthorpe Tourist Information Centre. 154771 Picture: TERRY WEST

IT’S official: TripAdvisor love Stanthorpe!
The Stanthorpe Visitor information Centre has earned a 2016 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.
The achievement celebrates tourism businesses from around the world that have received outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor and who have continually delivered a quality customer experience.
Destination Southern Downs general manager Marion Carrick said Destination Southern Downs was extremely honoured and proud to receive the award.
“We would like to congratulate and thank our valuable staff members and exceptional volunteers for their 110 per cent commitment to tourism and customer service, particularly our Visitor Information Services co-ordinator Karan Orr,” she said.
“Unfortunately, the award is bittersweet.
“With the council’s decision to end funding to DSD and request that all staff vacate the premises by 30 June, this exceptional team will no longer be providing visitors to Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt with customer service excellence.”
Only the top-performing 10 per cent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor worldwide receive this prestigious award.
To qualify, the Stanthorpe Visitor Information Centre had to maintain an overall rating of four stars or higher, out of a possible five stars. Additional criteria included the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.
“We leave knowing that in the 12-month period Destination Southern Downs ran the Stanthorpe Visitor Information Centre it operated on a world-standard,” she said.
Southern Downs Regional Council mayor Tracy Dobie said that she wished to recognise the great work undertaken by the long-serving staff and volunteers at the Stanthorpe Visitor Information Centre on this significant award.
“These awards are important and highlight the excellent level of customer service that is afforded by the staff and volunteers to visitors coming to Stanthorpe, it is a great credit to them in how they promote the region and ensure return visitation,” she said.
“If I recall, the staff and volunteers at the Stanthorpe Visitor Information Centre have been recognised previously through other awards and this one is yet another feather in their cap.”
In relation to the transition of service delivery in the tourism, marketing and major events area, from Destination Southern Downs to Southern Downs Regional Council, Cr Dobie indicated that actions were underway that would allow for a smooth transition to occur.
“The council has advertised two Visitor Information Centre officer positions, one based in Stanthorpe and one based in Warwick,” she said.
“These positions will manage and provide direction to the existing volunteers and future volunteers at both Visitor Information Centres.”
Mayor Dobie said any discussion that all volunteers had been requested to evacuate or vacate the Visitor Information Centres was not correct.
“While the leases for both Visitor Information Centres had not been finalised by Destination Southern Downs, the council has advised Destination Southern Downs that their staff should not be in the Visitor Information Centres post 30 June 2016, as they will no longer be employed to undertake the duties associated with the Visitor Information Centre,” she said.
“Volunteers on the other hand will be welcomed and supported by the new officers.”
Cr Dobie also indicated that all volunteers that had been terminated by Destination Southern Downs were welcome to re-register as a volunteer.
“Volunteers who are knowledgeable and offer quality customer service skills will always be welcome in the Visitor Information Centres,” she said.
As the council takes on the services previously provided by Destination Southern Downs, a new structure has been developed to deliver Economic Development, Major Events and Tourism through a separate council unit.
The new Economic Development, Major Events and Tourism Unit will report directly to the chief executive officer in the short term.
The new unit will become the “one-stop shop” for all major events, whether they are new events or existing events.
The mayor said the new unit would allow the council to co-ordinate the support necessary such as road closures, use of council facilities and equipment, funding (where applicable) and promotions/marketing.
Cr Dobie commented that the new Economic Development, Major Events and Tourism Unit should increase the capacity of the Southern Downs Region to attract more employment, investment and visitor expenditure.
“The new unit will focus on three key objectives, more employment in the region, more residents to the region and more visitors to the region,” Cr Dobie said.
“If these three objectives can be achieved, the financial sustainability of the area will improve. We have a great region with huge potential that we need to let the rest of Queensland and Australia know about.”
Over the next few days there will be an announcement that the new unit will be headed up by a person with substantial experience in economic development, events and tourism.
This person will be in the role for a short period of time before a formal transparent recruitment process is undertaken.
A positive meeting have already been held with representatives from Granite Belt Wine and Tourism discussing the transition process and there will be a formal consultation process with key stakeholders as the process continued, the mayor said.
“It is noted however that there is an expectation from the council that Destination Southern Downs will continue to deliver the services that they have been contracted to until the end of the financial year. The council is disappointed that despite a commitment from the deputy chair and general manager of Destination Southern Downs that a smooth transition process would occur, this has not been the case thus far.
“It is important that a smooth transition process does occur given the upcoming Snowflakes Festival in Stanthorpe and the Queensland Road Teams Series Cycling Event in Warwick, which are both occurring in the first week of July and will provide a significant economic boost to both areas”, Cr Dobie said.