Strategic destination
plans & frameworks
We work in partnership with States and Territories, Regional Tourism Organisations and Local Governments to co-create strategic tourism plans that support sustainable visitor economies.
We are a strategic partner for destination teams across Australia, working cohesively with clients to develop evidenced-based destination management plans, visitor economy frameworks and tourism strategies.
Our work is underpinned by a process of deep and considered engagement with community and industry to ensure outcomes are co-created, place-based and are in the best interests of the local environment, people, and the economy.
The Tourism Collective are the ultimate professionals, they produce work to an incredibly high standard. I can’t recommend them highly enough!
Eyre Peninsula engaged The Tourism Collective in 2022 to develop a Destination Marketing Plan, what they produced far-surpassed expectations! The plan was extensively researched, and importantly; captured the voices of our community and stakeholders. The resulting plan provides a strategic vision that aligns with the wants and needs of the community, allows us to attract our best visitors, and outlines specific activity required to achieve our tourism objectives. As a destination, it was vital for us to work with an agency whose values around sustainability aligned with ours. The team are passionate advocates of sustainable tourism, demonstrating not only incredible depth of knowledge on the topic, but an ability to apply the principles of sustainability in practical terms.
our approach to
destination planning
Below is our set of values and guiding principles for the outcomes we deliver for our clients.
CONSIDERED ENGAGEMENT & Deep Listening
Tourism is a highly complex and interconnected system, with many stakeholders committed to delivering positive outcomes through tourism.
To understand all perspectives, we activate wide and deep engagement to ensure the Plan speaks truthfully to the needs of the destination.
This consultation is not limited to traditional visitor economy stakeholders, but extended to perhaps the most important stakeholders of them all, residents - who can legitimately speak to their livability and represent their natural environment.
Our extensive engagement methodology ensures our plans represent the aspirations of the community, which enables the social license to implement the plan.
Evidence Based Planning
Without evidence, planning outcomes will always be questioned.
This is why reliable evidence must be collected - from crafting the right questions to explore with stakeholders, to interrogating ideas and opinions through valid means to provide clear direction for strategic plans.
This practice is reflected in our engagement methodology to ensure the validity of a benchmark to work from.
Where evidence doesn't exist, we encourage our clients to consider actions to accumulate the evidence to make decisions on future investments.
Realising the Full Value of Tourism
We understand tourism is a living network of interconnected intelligence, priorities and aspirations from all custodians of place. To survive, the network is continually listening, sharing, responding, dying and regrowing, with the challenge of maintaining a balance of strength and fragility.
The global pandemic demonstrated the fragility of the network, with long-term issues still challenging the pursuit of equilibrium for destinations.
In all of our work, we seek to understand the aspirations of communities first, then look to connect the dots through strategic collaborations and activations, so that communities can realise the full value of tourism for the environment, community, industry, economy and the visitor.
Agile Planning & Accountability
It's our priority to develop plans and frameworks that can withstand and proactively respond to the ever-changing landscape. We work with stakeholders to develop a strategic and agile approach to plan governance.
Efficiencies and resources are lost on overhauling strategic plans, and so a big part of the output of our work is to determine an agile approach to ensuring the plan is governed through an ongoing Engagement Plan alongside an accountability framework for action .
This ensures the plan remains iterative and agile, and doesn't require big overhauls and a hefty investment every 5 years.
It’s a rare and wonderful thing when the opportunity arises to work with a strategic partner who so emphatically embodies their stated values. The Tourism Collective's approach to destination planning is premised on three pillars of deep listening, evidence based planning and a positive impact mindset and the high quality of the work they produce is testament to the success of this approach.
Yorke Peninsula Tourism engaged The Tourism Collective to research and deliver a Strategic Tourism Action Plan in 2022 and a substantial aspect of this work was the research and development of a region-wide Situational Analysis. The thought, care and comprehensiveness of this analysis underpins the value of the whole Plan and sets our region up for long term success. By taking the time to genuinely listen and engage with a very broad range of stakeholders, the team were able to distil complex issues into clear, outcome-oriented action points. Further, their commitment to helping destinations evolve from a mindset of destination management to one of destination custodianship and stewardship is both strategically astute and environmentally and economically essential.
why work
with us on your next Plan
The Tourism Collective is a safe pair of hands, because of their professionalism and experience across a range of visitor destinations.
Paige, Rebecca and Jaclyn were integral to the development of T2030, the ACT Tourism Strategy, entrusted with managing consultations with the tourism industry and critical stakeholders, including Ministers. They also facilitated a successful visioning workshop with 60+ industry representatives. Aside from the consultations and workshop, we engaged in very productive and thought-provoking discussions with the team, which helped clarify our thinking and shaped the direction of our strategy.
current & completed projects &
case studies
-
Destination Phillip Island
Phillip Island and San Remo
Visitor Servicing Strategy
In Progress (due for completion June 2024) -
Adelaide Economic Development Agency
Visitor Economy Framework
Completed March 2024 -
Bendigo Region
Bendigo Region
Destination Management Plan & Local Area Action Plans
Completed March 2024 -
CLARE VALLEY TOURISM REGION
Destination Management and Marketing Plan 2024
Review & Update
Completed June 2023 -
Yorke Peninsula Tourism
5 Year Strategic Action Plan
Completed February 2023 -
Eyre Peninsula
3 year Marketing Strategy
Completed December 2022 -
VisitCanberra 2030 Tourism Strategy
Industry Listening Report + Co-Design Industry Planning Workshop
Competed October 2022 -
Developing East Arnhem Limited
3 Year Marketing Strategy
Completed August 2022 -
Limestone Coast Local Government Association
5 Year Tourism + Marketing Plan
Completed November 2020 -
Destination Riverland
10 Year Tourism Plan
Completed November 2020
-
Town of Gawler
5 Year Tourism Plan
Complete August 2019 -
Adelaide Hills Tourism
Website Marketing Strategy
Completed June 2019 -
Cocos Keeling Island
5 Year Marketing Strategy
Completed April 2019 -
Light Regional Council
4 Year Tourism Plan
Completed September 2018 -
Cradle Coast Authority
3 Year Marketing Strategy
Completed September 2017 -
City of Port Adelaide Enfield
2020 Tourism Plan
Completed September 2016 -
Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism
2020 Tourism Plan
Completed May 2016 -
Western Adelaide Councils
3 Year Destination Action Plan
Completed September 2016 -
Clare Valley Tourism Region
5 Year Destination Management & Marketing Plan
September 2019 -
Destination Southern Tasmania
5 Year Destination Marketing Plan
November 2019
I cannot recommend Tourism E-School highly enough! I am proud of the work that we have done together and confident in it’s application to grow Riverland Tourism over the next decade.
Destination Riverland commissioned Tourism eSchool (now TTC) in 2019 following an exhaustive tender process to develop the Riverland Tourism Plan 2030 (RTP2030). In early 2020, Tourism eSchool started an extensive program of consultation in community and on line began in earnest only to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the whole process Rebecca and Paige were wonderfully adaptive, clear and timely in their communication and the final plan produced, despite the interruption of COVID, was outstanding.