8 questions with Coralie Bell! Visitor Economy profile

This is one of a regular series to share the stories of some of the amazing people who work in the Australian visitor economy. I hope you enjoy it! Please share!

Your name:??Coralie Bell??????

Your role and what you do:?Chair at Australian Regional Tourism and Tourism Manager at Shoalhaven City Council. As the Chair at Australian Regional Tourism (ART), my role is to listen and understand the challenges of tourism operators in the regions and to advocate Nationally for better regional outcomes. ART and members have identified the top six national tourism priorities?(link)?that we are focussed on advocating for.

I also work as the Tourism Manager for Shoalhaven City Council (quick brag – the most visited regional destination in NSW). Whether running board meetings, coordinating marketing campaigns, presenting at conferences or stacking shelves at the local visitors centre – people and relationships are at the heart of what keeps me smiling.

How long have you worked in visitor economy roles??I grew up in a family tourism business in Shoalhaven and so had a good grounding of the importance of the visitor economy from a young age. I watched as my parents managed through?the workload of the peak visitor season when business was booming, and then the winter periods, when there were few visitors to serve but staff to still keep on the books.

Since then?I've been fortunate to enjoy a diverse career in a variety of roles and industries, I have worked in and around tourism for over 20 years. From business strategy, networking, report writing and stakeholder engagement to press advertising, public relations and marketing, you name it, I’ve done it.

What you enjoy most about working in the sector??What I love most about tourism is the people. It's the people and the clusters of small family businesses coming together to welcome visitors into their communities, through tourism experiences or events, that build on the social fabric of regional communities. When you live in the regions, you can see the direct impact the visitor economy has on entire communities. That's what makes the job worth doing.

What are you looking forward to and why???Honestly, the final release of?Australia's next national long-term tourism strategy adequately addressing the needs of regional Australia so that we can finally get on with supporting the 300,000+ small businesses that make up the visitor economy to thrive into the future.

What’s your best tip, advice, or lesson learned for the visitor economy right now??My best advice is to not underestimate the importance of social?licence and the need for effective working relationships as we progress through the recovery stage and rebuild what was once an incredible industry for all Australians to be proud of.

Favourite thing to do when not working??When not at work you'll mostly find me riding my horse, Koda,?through the beautiful Shoalhaven region. While we've confidently mastered riding through the bushtracks together, we're still working on riding along the beaches of Jervis Bay.

What always goes in your suitcase when travelling??Comfortable pyjamas and a good book to read.

Connect with Coralie Bell on LinkedIn and read our previous Visitor Economy profiles of accessible tourism operator James "Buck" McFarlane, international education expert?Karyn Kent?and Aboriginal tourist operator?Juan Walker (the latter two both Reimagining the Visitor Economy Independent Panel members).