THE second quarterly update of the Barrington Coast Destination Management program has been presented to the MidCoast Council at the Ordinary Meeting on 25 August.

Destination Barrington Coast is an initiative for the tourism sector to ensure that the Barrington Coast region is ‘top-of-mind’ for visitors seeking a holiday or short-break.

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The Barrington Coast Destination Management program actively focuses on promoting regions of the Coast from Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens to Forster-Tuncurry, Stroud and Bulahdelah as well as Wingham, Taree and the quiet country villages of the Manning Valley.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, there was a hesitation as to whether the program would be able to meet its key performance indicators of around driving traffic to the Barrington Coast website, increasing social media engagement and building industry partner participation.

Noted in the report to Council, these have been adequately met, placing The Barrington Coast social media audience as the third largest in NSW, behind Visit NSW and Sydney.

Sharon Bultitude, Destination Management Coordinator reported great success of the program so far, boosting tourism in the area.

“This quarter the region received more great organic media coverage from collaboration with various media channels including Weekend Sunrise, Caravan World and the Out And About With Kids Magazine.

“The work of the Destination Management Team is aligned to the Community Strategic Plan and Operational Plan – predominantly relating to our ‘thriving and growing economy’,” Ms Bultitude said.

The program will continue to run, focused on directing traffic to the multitude of landscapes, events and local businesses the Barrington Coast has to offer.

By Tara CAMPBELL