By Jeremy Sollars
A new tourism guide for the region produced by the Southern Downs Regional Council had to be pulped and re-printed after an embarrassing error saw the name of Stanthorpe left off the key map in the publication.
The full-colour Southern Downs and Granite Belt 2017/2018 Visitor Guide was printed by APN Print in Warwick’s Axis Industrial Estate on high-quality gloss paper with glue-based binding, as opposed to cheaper stitching.
It is not suggested that APN Print are to blame for the costly error, which appears to be a proof-reading issue.
The Free Times understands the first print run cost the council $35,000 and that APN Print produced the corrected version for the cost price of $29,000.
It is also understood the original print run of the Visitor Guide with the error on the map was delivered to tourism operators and the Visitor Information Centres in Warwick and Stanthorpe before the mistake was realised, and the copies were hastily recalled.
The publication was produced by officers of the council’s Economic Development Unit based in the Warwick Town Hall.
A previous version of the Visitor Guide produced by the now-defunct Destination Southern Downs tourism body – which had its funding scrapped by the council last year – contained advertising which helped to offset the production costs.
The current version produced by the council – which has taken over tourism marketing directly – contains no advertising, making the cost to ratepayers of the production slip-up even greater.
But error or no error, some operators are believed to be critical of the product, as the mapping contains no tourism operator listing to assist visitors to locate accommodation and attractions.
It has also been pointed out that the previous DSD Visitor Guides had a three-page fold-out map as opposed to two pages in the current version.
Stanthorpe tourism operator Marion Carrick acknowledged that “all businesses make mistakes”, but said for the council to leave Stanthorpe’s name off the map “is a large one”.
“It unfortunately supports many Stanthorpe resident’s feelings of being forgotten by council,” she told the Free Times.
“Added to that are the financial repercussions for the ratepayers, who now have to bear the costs of the original print and reprint.”
Comment is being sought from the Southern Downs Regional Council.
