Rutherglen Destination Management Plan

⁠⁠⁠The purpose of this expression of interest is to engage a consultant to prepare a five-year Rutherglen Destination Management Plan for Rutherglen and surrounds: Wahgunyah, Norong, Gooramadda, and Brimin. This plan will encompass a holistic approach to Destination Management, ensuring that tourism adds significant value to the local economy, social fabric, and ecology of the community. Tourism is a key economic driver for Rutherglen and surrounds, generating jobs and contributing vibrant lifestyle benefits. Tourism needs to be managed to ensure it leaves a positive legacy for current and future generations. The local tourism sector needs to be considered in the broader context of regional development and agricultural wine production.

The development of the Rutherglen Destination Management Plan will be underpinned by the following objectives:

1. Conduct a situation analysis of the existing tourism environment, articulating the current visitor markets and their perceptions of the region, the area’s competitive advantages and lead products and experiences that provide these, an evaluation of the effectiveness of current marketing, a review of how tourism management is undertaken and what is limiting its effectiveness
2. From the situation analysis, identify a concise set of strategic issues and opportunities for the DMP to respond to
3. Establish an overarching strategic Destination Management Framework that encapsulates the key platforms for the destination management plan, such as vision, brand articulation, target markets
4. Identify strategies to direct the sustainable growth of tourism in the local area
5. Develop an Implementation Action Plan that provides specific, tangible actions to deliver the strategic directions

The scope of this project is to develop a Rutherglen and surrounds Destination Management Plan.

It is recommended to structure the development of the Destination Management Plan into three Phases:

• Phase 1 – Situation Analysis
• Phase 2 – Strategic issues, opportunities, and directions
• Phase 3 – Tourism Plan