No winners in clash over tourism funds commitment

The claim made in letters to both the WMRTA president and Baw Baw Shire chief executive officer from Destination Gippsland CEO Terry Robinson was a reaction to public comments published and broadcast earlier this month by the association president Russell Wright and Baw Baw councillor and Walhalla hotel owner Michael Leaney.

The main comments to rile Destination Gippsland were that its promotions were biased towards coastal areas and that Baw Baw Shire was not getting value for its annual $33,000 contribution.

Destination Gippsland flatly rejects both assertions and its letters to the WMRTA and Baw Baw shire provide a lengthy list of the promotions and benefits to the Walhalla area, the shire and the entire Gippsland region.

Mr Wright, who runs a café at Walhalla, told The Gazette that Baw Baw shire should withdraw funding to Destination Gippsland because of its bias towards promoting coastal areas.

The shire would have better control over tourism outcomes if it allocated funding itself, he claimed.

Shire chief executive officer Alison Leighton sees things a bit differently.

She told The Gazette last week that “council is happy with the value it receives from Destination Gippsland and has no intention of changing funding arrangements”.

Mr Wright’s and Cr Leaney’s public comments had attributed lower than normal numbers of visitors to Walhalla, especially over the past six months, to a lack of promotion by Destination Gippsland.

The claims led to Mr Robinson inviting WMRTA’s Mr Wright to meet with him as soon as possible to attempt to clear the air and discuss terms under which the two bodies can work together in future to create a strong working relationship to promote Walhalla.

The letter to Ms Leighton said Cr Leaney’s comments and behviour could not be ignored and the Destination Gippsland Board would formally consider a policy regarding his involvement with its staff, both as a councillor and tourism operator.

Destination Gippsland chair Sue Smethurst said Baw Baw Shire was very supportive of the organisation and was aware of the value it gets for its $33,000. It has not been at all critical, she said. Ms Smethurst said Destination Gippsland was giving “unprecedented value for money” that last year saw visitor expenditure in the region rise $87million to $2.8billion

A statement last week by another person heavily involved at Walhalla, the secretary of the historic Walhalla Goldfields Railway Graeme Skinner, also challenged the views of Cr Leaney and Mr Wright.

Mr Skinner said the railway had experienced a record-breaking season and the Long Tunnel Extended Mine also had increased visits due in part to the efforts of Destination Gippsland and Baw Baw shire’s tourism and economic development team.

Baw Baw and the five other Gippsland municipalities - Latrobe, Wellington, East Gippsland, South Gippsland and Bass Coast – each contribute $33,000 a year towards the costs of running Destination Gippsland.

Ms Smethurst said the body delivered the councils a significant benefit, the scale of which they wouldn’t get without a “whole of Gippsland” approach.

The value of publicity and promotion achieved for the region is about $20-million a year, she said.

Mr Wright said the main concern of Walhalla businesses was the drop off in domestic visitor numbers – from Gippsland and other parts of the state and country - and while the impact may vary from business to business many that normally would be very busy have been “well down”.

The funding Destination Gippsland, including funds from Visit Victoria and the state government as well as local councils, is ratepayer and taxpayer money.

“We (Walhalla and Mountain Rivers) don’t get much for that at all”.

“We are not getting a fair share of the pie, only the crumbs left on the side”.

That has been as major factor for the drop in visitors, he said.