As travellers access increasing amounts of information online, the role of the traditional Visitor Information Centre is being challenged.
In Victoria, for example, Wodonga Council has just announced that it will start the transition to closing its Visitor Information Centre in order to focus on multiple digital avenues and information points.
Fort many grey nomads who habitually begin their adventures in a new town or a new area by strolling through a visitor centre picking up pamphlets or chatting to staff and getting a feel for what’s on offer, this online trend will come as a disappointment.
However, there remains a suspicion in some quarters that a failure to provide adequate parking and access for grey nomads in caravans or large motorhomes is the real issue, and it is that which is working against many long-established bricks and mortar visitor centres.
Certainly in Wodonga there are those that argue that, given that tourism contributes more than $600 million each year to the Albury-Wodonga economy, it is a risky strategy to have no face-to-face presence in Wodonga.
The council says the cost to run the centre last financial year was $316,000.
Apparently though, it was the centre’s location in Hovell Street that effectively sealed its fate. Poor access and visibility meant visitors, particularly the surging grey nomad market, couldn’t be served adequately.
Wodonga had the lowest number of walk-in visitors compared to other centres in the entire Murray region, and experienced a 32.5% drop in visitors between 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Meanwhile, across the river in Albury, the visitor information centre there is situated in a highly visible location at the railway station with adequate parking for caravans and the like. Plans are also afoot in Albury to create a dedicated recreational vehicle park on the Murray River.
The Wodonga Council says it too is aware of the needs of visitors travelling in recreational vehicles, and is continuing to investigate options for parking across the city to service this market’s needs.
For now though, it will simply say goodbye to its visitor centre, instead expanding to multiple digital avenues and information points with smart terminals at key visitor locations, and it will take the visitor information trailer to major events.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Wodonga to take a lead role in investing appropriately to meet the changing needs of visitors,” said Cr Ron Mildren. “The traditional Visitor Information Centre is just one tool in developing tourism, driving visitation and servicing visitors.”
*Do you still look forward to stopping at the traditional bricks and mortar information centres? Or do you find yourself increasingly relying on digital information sources? Comment below
It’s the first stop in a town to obtain the local information from the very informative staff with very friendly smiles.
Yes most definitely, first place to visit in each stop, irreplaceable, Gita like age is not always the ‘ants pants’ Do not close these establishments Dow.
Yes, we certainly look forward to the V.I.C visit and generally get info about where we are going to, rather than where we are at. That is, provided we can park with in a reasonable distance, and there is signage for RV parking – unfortunately far too many info centres do not have good parking and reasonable signage for that parking. Smaller towns seem to understand the value of the RV traveller, it is amazing that given the $ values in this article, that the council can not understand the needs of the traveller?
This is such a shame. We are part of the grey nomads invasion and the first thing we do in a new area is to go to the visitors info centre. This gives you a feel for a place and usually the staff are very interesting and give great personal info of laces that they enjoy. We visited both Albury and Woodonga and their visitors centres and had no trouble with parking even though we may have had to walk a bit. It would be a shame to see them close and we don’t think we would like to have to rely on a machine to get our information. Please rethink closing them down.
I know both of these Info centres as I commute to the border towns regularly. The Wodonga Info centre should be relocated when all the street and building upgrades are finished. An Info centre somewhere in the new shopping strip would be ideal, but don’t close it.
Won’t be bothering to visit Wodonga anymore, then. At a time when more and more revenue must come from tourism, to support these communities, the decision to alienate tourists is suicidal. The again, it is always ‘economy at any cost’ these days…
When we come into each town the first thing we look for is the V.I.C. It is the easiest way to get information about the town and the surrounding areas. Take these away and the local businesses are going to lose of custom as tourists will just continue to the next town.
This will be a loss for all, so sad, so very sad.
Rob
Paul Stevenson. yes fully agree, we visit the V.I.C. when arriving into a new town. Seems just another way of increasing the unemployment of the town. Also parking should be given more thought with most of us free camping now and our vans in tow most of the time you cant just pull up anywhere.Bundaberg, is a prime example, have you ever tried to get a cruiser and 22ft van in or out of there.Bundaberg and area have so much to offer as do a lot of other places.So you would be better served changing something else.
If the town loses it’s V.I.C, consider subsidising the local outback pub to take on the role, after all the publicans of these establishments can offer immense information of their particular area (as identified recently with the future of outback pubs issue). V.I.C’s are only as good as the information they provide, and whilst most are manned by very courteous staff, the local information can leave a little to be desired at times. We once asked for advice at a V.I.C on the best road condition route to reach our particular destination (outback NSW). The recommended route was in a pretty ordinary state. When we arrived at the local and was questioned on which way we traveled, we were admonished for not contacting the nearest outback pub for up to date road conditions. Turned out the alternative route had just been recently graded!
Whether we like it or not, this is the trend in our society which seems to be increasingly infatuated with “digital” and “on-line” means of obtaining information. It’s much like the digital answering services you get when you ring a major company these days…very helpful…NOT! At some time in the future, the penny-pinching corporations, agencies and bureaucrats will come to realise that people need people with whom to interact – at the end of the day that’s the most efficient and relational way to find information and assistance. Until then, this is the near future. Bah! Humbug!