New branding to attract tourists, boost economy

CHARTERS Towers has many secrets and the council wants visitors to discover them for themselves.

That was the message delivered to the audience of more than 100 community stakeholders who attended the launch of the Charters Towers Destination Tourism Brand on Thursday night.

The tourism branding, which is the new logo to appear on all tourism promotional material, features a hurricane lamp, textured font and the tagline “unearth our secrets”.

A second cattle brand styled logo will also feature.

Deputy Mayor Sonia Bennetto said the feedback from Thursday’s launch was encouraging.

“From the outset we wanted to create something that visually set the Charters Towers region apart from other destinations,” she said.

“We worked closely with tourism experts and the community to create a design and tagline that represents the region and would appeal to visitors.”

Charters Towers Regional Council held several community meetings in 2020, which formed the backbone of the Destination Management Plan 2020-2025.

The plan sets out the brand values, which tap into the essence of what makes the region special.

It is hoped the plan would help provide direction for the community to develop the visitor economy through joint efforts by industry, community and government to help sell the tourism experience to visitors.

This includes using it and marketing to grow overnight visitations, increase the spending in the region by overnight and day trippers, extending the tourism season and increasing destination awareness.

Councillor Julie Mathews, whose portfolio includes tourism economic development, said the branding captured the core identity of the region.

“Charters Towers is a blend of the old and new,” she said. “This branding reflects that and celebrates our heritagerich community while encouraging visitors to seek out their own story.

“We are excited to see the brand become more and more visible as it gets rolled out on websites, signage, promotional material and more.” The branding is free to use for all Charters Towers region businesses.

A style guide for the new branding is available now on the Charters Towers Regional Council website.

Cr Bennetto said Charters Towers had a seamless harmony of old and new worlds and this was clear from the community consultation sessions.

She said the branding would play an integral role in promoting tourism in the region using a professional iconic brand that would set Charters Towers apart.

“We had members of the community, business leaders, and tourism operators at the launch and they were all excited to see how the new brand will benefit the local tourism industry,” Cr Bennetto said.

For more information go to www. charterstowers. qld .gov.au