The doors of the beleaguered Brunswick Heads Visitor Centre will remain open, at least for now, after receiving a $45,000 funding advance from Byron Shire Council (BSC).
The Council approved the payment at last week’s meeting after the cash-strapped centre had an urgent sit down with Council’s general manager to discuss its future.
It is the second $45,000 cash advance that the centre has received in the last 12 months.
Last week’s meeting heard that the payments were keeping the centre afloat.
‘Without these funds we would have closed the doors of the visitors’ centre,’ Centre Coordinator and Brunswick Head Chamber of Commerce President, Peter Wotton conceded.
The meeting heard that, even though 45,000 people a year attended the visitors’ centre, its revenue streams had dwindled significantly.
‘Our local economy is facing major pressures since we lost our major music festivals which were held at Yelgun, and the introduction of paid parking,’ Mr Wotton said.
‘The loss of our Bruns Memorial Hall contract, worth several thousand dollars a year, was also a significant loss of revenue.
‘We are finding it more difficult to gain financial sponsors and support, and our visitors’ centre merchandise retail sales are down about 40 per cent.’
What is the future of visitors’ centres?
While the latest funding boost will keep the centre’s doors open for at least another year, questions remain over its long-term future, including the viability of the traditional visitors’ centre model in the digital age.
‘Is there a collective of visitor centres talking about how to adapt to this new economy where people who once would have made bookings for different activities at a visitors centre are now doing so online?’ Byron Mayor, Sarah Ndiaye asked.
‘Is that conversation happening about how we adapt these. Obviously, we’ve seen Byron Visitor Centre go through a big decline in that engagement as well.’
Mr Wotton said that there was a discussion about moving away from traditional methods of information sharing taking place, including placing greater emphasis on social media.
‘However, when you’ve got 45,000 people each year coming into the centre, it indicates that people do want information,’ he said.
‘They want local information. They do want to talk to people. We also do publish maps and they are all picked up by people within a couple of months.’
The Brunswick Heads Visitor Centre plays a significant role in supporting the town’s tourism economy. This includes coordinating major events such as the Old & Gold Festival and the Mullum to Bruns Paddle. It also provides scores of referrals to local businesses each week, and has a significant role in promoting the town as a destination where families can experience the ‘Simple Pleasures’ of a coastal holiday.
Nevertheless, given Byron Council’s precarious financial position, the centre will continue to face an uncertain future if it cannot stand on its own two feet financially.
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