USQ tourism students study Harrisville

Tourism students from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Springfield campus recently took a field trip to Harrisville to prepare them for an upcoming assignment on tourism planning.

The students completed a walking tour of the town and spoke to three Harrisville business owners, Mackaways Café, the Royal Hotel and Normanby Wines, about their experiences in the area.

Using the town as a case study in their assignments, the students will aim to attract more tourists to the area by assessing Harrisville's tourism potential and developing a site plan for either a new attraction on a vacant site or in an existing building or redevelopment of the winery.

USQ Tourism lecturer Dr Narelle Beaumont said the business owners were very cooperative and generous with their time.

'They talked to the students about the development of their business, the current market, promotional activities and what they would like to see for tourism in the town,' Dr Beaumont said.

'Any good ideas the students develop while completing their assignments will be passed on to the operators themselves or the local tourism operators' association.'

Sara Reti, a Bachelor of Business student majoring in Tourism Management said she enjoyed the visit to Harrisville.

'I had never been to Harrisville before and really enjoyed the character and history of the little town,' Sara said.

'It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city as well. We were able to have lunch at the local Mackaways Café and look around the historical Royal Hotel.

'While we were visiting Normanby Wines, we relaxed in their beautiful surroundings, took in the views and sampled some of their home grown wines. It was also a great opportunity to talk to one of the owners, Jenny Hall and learn more about the winery and its customers.'

Sara said the field trip helped her to understand the impact tourism had on a small community and the need for effective tourism planning in the area.

'I am going to do my assignment on building extra accommodation in Harrisville, which I found to be lacking in the area. I haven't yet decided what sort of accommodation it will be though.'

USQ Tourism students have also recently gone on an ecotour operated by Araucaria Ecotours of Rathdowney to Daisy Hill Conservation Park and Redlands Indigiscapes as part of another tourism field trip.

Media Contact: Jo-Ann Sparrow, USQ Media, +61 7 3470 4119 or 0428 102 979