After the NSW Tourism Association last month named Kiama as the state's Top Tourism Town and Shellharbour as the runner-up, Jeremy Lasek examines what it would take for Wollongong to win.
Congratulations to Kiama and Shellharbour for their latest tourism awards. Richly deserved.
It got me thinking. What does Wollongong have to do to be one a serious challenger for a big tourism trophy?
A good start would be relocating our tourist information centre back into the city. Is there anywhere else in the world that has its tourist centre a 20-minute drive out of town away from civilisation and where the tourists might hang out? Righting this wrong might be a great starting point for our city’s new tourism chief to demonstrate a smart new approach to cater for our visitors.
Putting aside the fact that our city centre doesn’t have a cinema for visitors to escape to on cold, rainy days, surely it’s time Wollongong had a world-class attraction that will tell the rich history of our city and region.
The proposal for a Museum of People and Industry (MPI) is bold and visionary. It will share the stories of our region from the First People’s perspective through to the creation of nation-building coal and steel industries. It will capture our wonderful migrant history, our fabulous cultural heritage and, of course, the spectacular natural beauty of this special place between the mountains and the sea. The MPI could include a large convention facility to attract and accommodate the lucrative business tourism market. More four- and five-star hotels would naturally follow when there’s increased demand.
A city the size of Wollongong deserves such a place. It will be a place we locals can be proud of and where visitors coming by car, trains and cruise ships will flock to in big numbers.
In three years the steelworks will celebrate its 100th year of operations at Port Kembla.
How good would it be to see a start made on our Museum of People and Industry in 2028? We put our faith in our tourism and business leaders and federal, state and local government politicians to seize the opportunity, get the ball rolling, and share the vision of Wollongong becoming a must-visit destination for tourists travelling from interstate and overseas.
Who knows, in a decade from now, we just might give Kiama and Shellharbour a run for their money when they hand out future tourism awards.
