The Dawn of a new era for Cooktown tourism

The dawn of a new era for Cooktown tourism

By MARK ROY

Members of the Discovery Festival re-enactment players made sure the launch of the new visitors’ guide booklet andwebsite went off with a bang when they fired a volley from their muskets into the air at the James Cook Museum last Sunday night.

Their performance was just one part of a food, drink, music and entertainment extravaganza at the launch.

Volunteers from Visitor Information Centres across the Cape joined local tour operators and business people for the launch.

The 69 VIC volunteers – who came from Mission Beach, Innisfail, Tully, Babinda, Ravenshoe, Cardwell, Chillagoe, Atherton and Cairns for a three-day conference – were treated to a dramatic performance of traditional dance by the Hope Vale Dancers, followed by the round of musket-fire from the five members of the Re-enactment Festival.

Cook Shire tourism coordinator David Barker said the new website, www.cooktownandcapeyork.com, was submitted to search engines in June and had already achieved first-page rankings on Google for the keywords “Cooktown” and “Cape York”.

“Our target is to top the rankings on all the main keywords,” Mr Barker said.

Without the driving force of the council’s resident IT guru, John Haberman, the project would probably still be in the concept phase, he said.

“Many local businesses have been involved by giving content for the site, and the Cooktown Chamber of Commerce and Tourism have added many weeks of their time freely in helping with content and advice on the design to steer the project,” Mr Barker said.

He said the website was an “evolving marketing tool”.

“We have already moved into the second phase of the project and inserted the promotional DVD clips into the website,” he said.

A tourism trails project would then link with similar niche-market websites throughout the region, he said.

Member for Cook, Jason O’Brien said a web presence was critical for Cooktown’s success as a tourist destination.

“People nowadays are making all their investment decisions about their holidays before they leave their loungeroom,” Mr O’Brien said.

“They’ve paid for their airfares, they’ve paid for their accommodation – a lot of them have booked and paid for tours before they’ve left home.

“You’ve got to have a website that is engaging, rich in information, and can do business,” he said.

“People want more than passive tourism – they want to be involved, they want to learn the story, they want to weave the basket, catch the fish – they want an experience, and that’s what you’ve got here in Cooktown.”

He said the new website had the capacity to sell the region in the modern world.

“There are so many facets, there can only be growth here,” Mr O’Brien said.

“The beauty of a place like Cooktown is that all your eggs are not in one basket. You’ve got your backpackers here fruitpicking, you’ve got families, and you’ve got baby-boomers who’ve just gone into retirement who are looking for experience-based holidays.

The new 62-page Visitor Guide booklet was also launched and includes guides to local museums and galleries, plus travel guides to the Rainforest Coast from Rossville to Wujal Wujal, Hope Vale, Endeavour Valley, Elim Beach, Coloured Sands, and the Quinkan country around Lakeland and Laura.

There are tips on fishing and boating, plus maps and guides to national parks and campsites from Charters Towers to the Torres Strait.

Mr Barker said the free Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula booklet is available from Nature’s Powerhouse and many restaurants, retail outlets, servos and businesses in the region.

“Natures Powerhouse store boxes of the guides, so any business in Cooktown is welcome to replenish stocks when running low – just ask at the front desk,” he said.

Issue 487 October 29 2010