Tourism operators in the Mountains are concerned that visitor numbers may fall because there is no dedicated marketing body working to promote the area.
The former regional tourism organisation (RTO), Blue Mountains Lithgow Oberon Tourism, was disbanded last September
There are plans to create a replacement body but, in the meantime, the volunteer members of the Blue Mountains Accommodation and Tourism Association (BMATA) are trying to fill the gap.
BMATA president, Eric Sward, said without proper marketing, tourists and other visitors were likely to consider other destinations, rather than the Mountains.
“You’ve got to be in the marketplace. If we’re not in there, they forget about you,” he said.
He was also concerned at the longer term impact.
“If we aren’t doing sales missions today, what effect will that have in two years time?
“BMLOT operated for nearly a year in financial difficulties and was in save mode for a while and then it closed in September so for more than a year we haven’t really had a focussed and resourced regional tourism organisation,” he said.
“We know work is being done to create a new one. That’s progressing and we have been in discussions with the consultants about that … but there is this time lapse. It doesn’t affect anything immediately but it can affect things in a year or so.”
When BMLOT closed, BMATA stepped in to secure its intellectual property.
“We bought websites and domain names which may have been lost or fall into the hands of maverick operators,” Mr Sward said.
It has now come down to BMATA’s members to try to promote some of the Mountains’ major events.
They took on the Roaring 20s festival, getting funding from Destination NSW and council to help. And they will try to maintain the profile of other major events.
“But we’re all volunteers,” Mr Sward said, unlike the paid employees of a regional tourism organisation.
A spokesman for Destination NSW (DNSW) said the role of RTOs was currently being reviewed but a working group had been set up in the Mountains. And DNSW had been and would continue to actively promote the area.
A council spokeswoman said a new alliance between Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Penrith councils was developing a business case for a new RTO.
