A new tourism campaign is about to launch naming Forbes as a destination hot spot for travellers seeking the ultimate country experience.
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From catching yabbies to droving on a stock route ‘Forbes in the Heart of the Country’ aims to encourage visitors to “be a local” for a few days.
The agri-tourism campaign is a Forbes Shire Council initiative funded partially by Destination NSW and marketing manager Sarah White said it is the result of thorough market research.
“We’ve done a lot of tourism market research and responses strongly indicate that the modern, metropolitan and international tourist want to experience the Australian rural way of life,” she said.
“In a nutshell the campaign is designed to invite visitors to engage with the community and have a hands-on experience.”
Forbes is the first regional centre to launch a campaign like this, and it has already been heralded by tourist professionals at the National Landscapes Forum in South Australia as a leader in its field.
‘Forbes in the Heart of the Country’ offers tourists three different regional-themed experiences.
‘Farm experiences’ invites travellers to go on farm tours, meet the producers and get a close up view of seasonal activities like shearing and wheat planting.
The ‘drover experience’ will take guests on the road, where they will make friends with sheep dogs, sleep under the stars and relive the tradition of droving.
Finally the ‘catch and cook experience’ will have out-of-towners hooking and cooking their own Carp, Yellowbelly and yabbies as well as preserving olives, roasting a lamb and milling and baking wheat.
The campaign is already gaining momentum with many local producers showing their support and Ms White said the initiative will be a win-win situation for farmers.
“We’ve had quite a few locals come onboard to offer experiences,” she said.
“Not only will it showcase our region but when [the campaign] gains momentum it’s going to help encourage local producers to diversify their farming operations, maybe by offering farm stays or tours.
“I think it has amazing potential.”
Mayor of Forbes Ron Penny is also extremely pleased with the campaign.
“This is the first time we have had a targeted campaign such as this and I expect to see great results,” he said.
“I fully support the campaign which is a first for both Forbes and the region and believe we have every reason to be extremely proud. This is definitely going to help put Forbes on the map.”
As well as attracting people from metropolitan areas, it is thought the campaign could even tap into the rapidly growing Asian tourism market, encouraging particularly people from China and Japan to Forbes.
‘Forbes in the Heart of the Country’ will officially launch next Thursday.