When Destination Wollongong’s first Tourism Week kicked off at WIN Sports and Entertainment Centre on the weekend the colourful shirts of the city’s volunteer welcomers were clearly visible.
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Anyone venturing through the city centre on Monday would have also seen some of the army of ambassadors that was first activated two years ago.
They first appeared when Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas made the inaugural cruise ship visit to Port Kembla in October 2016.
Now two years on proud residents such as Annie Peacock have taken every opportunity to showcase their city and make visitors feel welcome by sharing a warm smile and information.
Waiting outside the WIN Entertainment Centre on Sunday afternoon Mrs Peacock greeted visiting basketball fans who were in town for the Illawarra Hawks home game against the Adelaide 36ers.
She said she enjoyed her first volunteering role so much she has done it ever since.
“Welcoming those people on Radiance of the Seas into Wollongong it was just fantastic to showcase what we have really got here,” she said.
“Since then I’ve been involved in Australia Day events and also New Year’s Eve. Today I am here helping to promote Tourism Week and welcoming people to Wollongong.
“I particularly want to welcome Adelaide people here today because it is very close to my heart. I want to really greet them and tell them what we have here in Wollongong. When I went to Adelaide I absolutely loved it. And I think making people feel welcome here is so good for Wollongong.”
Mrs Peacock is planning to be a welcomer for future cruise ship visits such as Explorer of the Seas which makes its welcome return on February 11, 2019.
Destination Wollongong general manager Mark Sleigh said it was great to be invited to launch the week by the Hawks who have been been a reason NBL supporters have been coming to Wollongong for four decades.
And in the process they have been staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, drinking coffee in local cafes and shopping at other businesses.
“Sporting events like this are definitely bringing visitors to town,” he said.
Mr Sleigh said other examples of the impact that sport and events make to the region was the Wigan and Hull Super League game at WIN Stadium and the Federation Cup.
The Destination Wollongong general manager also thanked life member Stuart Barnes for the week he has put in to developing the first Tourism Week program of events and messages around the significance of tourism to the local economy.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
