Return to Projects & Services

Eyre Peninsula Tourism and Marketing Plan

URPS worked closely with Tourism Eyre Peninsula and the South Australian Tourism Commission to undertake the research and consultation required to develop a robust and achievable five year marketing plan for the peninsula.

Building on the three-year funding agreement and the commitment of Local Government, the South Australian Tourism Commission and the Outback Areas Community Development Trust, we provided a plan that set clear directions and identified the outcomes to be achieved through the investments of the funding partners.

The outcomes of the project contributed to greater regional ownership of Tourism Eyre Peninsula's marketing initiatives. The establishment of agreed directions gave the councils greater confidence in making ongoing commitments to three-year funding agreements.

Tourism Eyre Peninsula used the planning process to strengthen its relationships with those who are involved in implementing the marketing plan's strategies and actions. These included tourism operators, businesses, agencies involved in natural resource management and regional development, training and development organisations, and the core funding partners.

A targeted consultation process, which was conducted over a week, obtained and synthesised the views of key individuals within these organisations and sectors to establish directions to achieve greater efficiency in the region's tourism investment and expenditure in marketing.

The project resulted in the confirmation of a five-year framework that will support the continued growth of a successful tourism sector on Eyre Peninsula.

Innovation is important to us at URPS. We like to 'push boundaries’ where appropriate. It keeps us on our toes and delivers the best possible outcomes for our clients who have to adapt to constant change. This is why we take such pride in winning PIA Awards – they provide evidence of our success in striving for innovation.

We were delighted to receive a commendation at the PIA SA 2011 Awards for Planning Excellence for the Mount Barker Town Centre Community Engagement Project – our 15th PIA Award/Commendation over the past 9 years.

A genuinely collaborative project, staff from Mount Barker Council worked closely with the URPS team to deliver a range of engagement techniques carefully targeted to the various audiences. According to the awards publication, "the judges were impressed by the extent of the community engagement process and the use of a wide variety of consultation mediums, including social media, a youth ‘walk out and talk out’ session and a series of 'speak out’ sessions".

We were also delighted to celebrate Marcus Rolfe's elevation to the position of Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia at the Awards evening. The elevation recognises Marcus' ongoing contribution to the planning profession.

URPS Director Nicole Halsey has recently been appointed as a member of the Premier's Climate Change Council and the Board of Renewables SA.

The primary function of the Climate Change Council is to provide independent advice to the Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change about matters related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. The Council also takes a leading role in consulting with business, the environment / conservation sector and the wider community on climate change issues.

Key elements of the charter of Renewables SA include:

We look forward to supporting Nicole in these significant roles.

URPS and Natalie Fuller and Associates, together with a team of dedicated staff and volunteers at the City of Salisbury, recently held a "Street Talk" event outside the Len Beadell library for the Salisbury Town Centre Renewal Project.

Over 500 people participated, providing their views on what they like about the Town Centre, what can be improved and how they would like to see it develop in the future.

The Manager Urban Development at the City of Salisbury, Harry Pitrans, described this as a "very successful day for the City of Salisbury", also praising "the opportunity we provided to support the team of engagement volunteers" and our "professionalism and fun during the day".

We would also like to extend our thanks to the engagement team of Brian Pledger, Janine Harding, Jo Lasham, Julie Fyfe, Kate Naumann, Michelle Tucker, Tammie Hamilton and Hiroe Terao.

This type of successful community engagement will have a significant positive impact on the development and delivery of the Town Centre Renewal Project.