Accredited Visitor

Information Centre

Industry Advisory

Group

Presented by Peter Lipman 12 March 2018

NSW ACCREDITED VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE (AVIC)

NETWORK

Destination NSW’s role is to oversee the auditing and accreditation of

visitor information centres in NSW

The accreditation process is designed to establish and continually improve

industry standards within visitor information centres to meet the increasing

demands

of domestic and international visitors and stakeholders.

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BACKGROUND

Between 2001 – 2011, the former Tourism NSW established and managed an

AVIC Industry Reference Group (IRG).

The AVIC IRG provided input and guidance on strategic issues relating to the

management and development of NSW AVICs.

In 2011, the AVIC IRG was disbanded as it was believed that the Group was

no longer a relevant form of communication to the AVIC network.

In 2017, Destination NSW re-established the AVIC Industry Advisory Group

(IAG) seeking membership submissions from AVIC members.

Members were selected in December 2017.

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BACKGROUND

Destination NSW initiated the AVIC Industry Advisory Group to encourage

information sharing between AVIC network members.

The Industry Advisory Group comprises:

• 7 x AVIC Managers/Supervisors or Tourism Managers from each NSW

Destination Network and the Sydney Surrounds region

• 2 x Destination NSW staff

• 1 x AVIC Program Manager (contractor).

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PURPOSE OF THE INDUSTRY ADVISORY GROUP

Primarily an information sharing group responsible for:

• Providing Destination NSW with information and advice in relation to the

Accredited Visitor Information Centre Network Accreditation Program

• Contributing to the ongoing development of the Visitor Information Centre

Accreditation Process in NSW

• Providing a forum for the discussion of strategic issues relating to the

management and development of AVICs in NSW

• Assisting with the promotion and communication of the goals of the NSW

AVIC Network Program.

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SO WHO ARE THE MEMBERS OF INDUSTRY ADVISORY

GROUP?

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PENNY JOBLING (COUNTRY AND OUTBACK NSW)

AVIC: Narrabri

Role: Tourism Manager

Favourite destination in region: I have two favourites – soaking in the 37

degree Pilliga Artesian Bore Baths and hiking in Mt Kaputar National Park.

What I do for fun outside of work: Travel, spend time with family and friends

and enjoy fabulous food and beer.

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JESSICA SEVIL (RIVERINA MURRAY)

AVIC: Albury

Role: Albury Visitor Information

Centre Co-ordinator

Favourite destination in region: I love bushwalking, so exploring the

parklands and reserves in the region would be my favourite activity

What I do for fun outside of work: I do enjoy cooking. I’m an avid book

reader and love spending time outdoors.

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GEORGIA LAZZARI (SYDNEY SURROUNDS NORTH)

AVIC: Maitland

Role: Team Leader Visitor Economy

Favourite destination in region: The region is so diverse and includes a

beautiful plethora of city, country and coast experiences it’s hard to pick one

destination. What I do love is constantly exploring the region as there is

always something new and interesting on the horizon.

What I do for fun outside of work: Outside work it’s a hectic calendar of

sport and activity with my gorgeous boys, however, when time permits there is

nothing like indulging in good company, great food and a fabulous bottle of

vino.

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DIANE JOHNSTON (SYDNEY SURROUNDS SOUTH)

AVIC: Shellharbour

Role: Tourism Manager

Favourite destination in region: I love visiting The Farm at Killalea State

Park – amazing views, a great surfing spot and classified as a National Surfing

Reserve.

What I do for fun outside of work: I enjoy travelling and spending time with

my husband and two sons, especially with their football/soccer, catching up

with friends and good food including chocolate!

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ANDREW WARREN (SOUTHERN NSW)

AVIC: Crookwell

Role: Tourism Manager

Favourite destination in region: Wombeyan Caves – an amazing network of

limestone caves accessed through a picturesque valley.

What I do for fun outside of work: I love playing field hockey, camping and

playing my guitar.

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ANDREW WALKER (NORTH COAST)

AVIC: Lismore

Role: Tourism Service Co-ordinator

Favourite destination in region: I love Nimbin village and the surrounding

waterfalls and ancient rainforests of Nightcap National Park.

What I do for fun outside of work: I love exploring our local villages and

World Heritage listed rainforests as well as gardening and bush regeneration.

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RAQUEL BLOOM (SYDNEY)

AVIC: Parramatta

Role: Visitor Services Leader

Favourite destination in region: I love the heritage and stories of places in

Parramatta and I am very fortunate to be surrounded by UNESCO World

Heritage listed Parramatta Park, Old Government House, the Dairy Precinct,

Phillip Ruddock Heritage Centre and Elizabeth Farm. I often walk around

these sites during my lunch break.

What I do for fun outside of work: I love going bushwalking, spending time

with my family and pets, cooking, visiting exhibitions, galleries and museums

and doing day trips all over Sydney. My family is often exhausted by Sunday.

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HOW DESTINATION NSW AND THE AVIC IAG CAN HELP

Provide advice and guidance on visitor information servicing strategies

Examples include providing assistance with:

• turning AVICs into ‘experience gateways’ that showcase a destination’s

key visitor experiences and link them with other neighbouring destinations

• developing a business and/or marketing plan

• conducting an online content audit to ensure currency, relevance and

linkages to industry websites

• instigating mobile VICs.

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HOW DESTINATION NSW AND THE AVIC IAG CAN HELP

Provide suggestions and advice on visitor servicing training for your staff

and stakeholders.

Past examples of Workshops conducted by Destination NSW include:

• Customer Service training

• Visual Merchandising training

• Staff and Volunteer Management training

• Social Media upskilling.

Other programs could include:

• Recruitment, selection and induction programs for new staff

• Staff performance management.

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HOW DESTINATION NSW AND THE AVIC IAG CAN HELP

Provide information and advice regarding the operation of Accredited

Visitor Information Centres.

Examples include providing assistance with:

• signage and brochure distribution companies

• installation of Wi-Fi and digital technologies

• implementing customer service measurement technologies

• AVIC data collection and analysis

• updates on unscrupulous operators targeting AVICs and LGAs.

First AVIC IAG meeting for 2018 will be held in Sydney on 16 April 2018.

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AVICS IN THE DIGITAL AGE – LEVERAGING YOUR USPs

AVICs have a solid reputation for providing credible, high-quality visitor

information.

AVICs can differentiate themselves by highlighting how their offering is a

source of reliable, local knowledge that can be personalised to suit the

visitor’s needs.

This type of customised visitor information is difficult to source online.

When this is combined with the high trust and satisfaction rates among

NSW AVIC users, AVICs have the ability to significantly enhance the visitor

experience and maximise the benefits to the local visitor economy of visitor

expenditure.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Peter Lipman

Manager Visitor Services

Destination NSW

P: 02 9931 1179

E: peter.lipman@dnsw.com.au

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