Town’s tourism warning —Denmark Chamber of Commerce calls for support to open emergency visitor centre

The Denmark Chamber of Commerce is calling on the Shire of Denmark council for help to set up an emergency visitor service from the Denmark Visitor Centre during the peak tourism period. The bid comes after the Denmark Visitor Centre shut its doors at the end of July, after the departure of Amazing South Coast Tourism. At the Shire of Denmark’s October council meeting, councillors resolved to keep the centre closed until the Shire could develop a tourism strategy, which is expected to take 12 months. The DCC has now submitted a proposal to the Shire calling for in-kind support to operate a temporary emergency visitor service between December and April. The DCC proposes the Denmark Visitor Centre operate from Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 2pm. The chamber wants to offer face-to-face visitor services five days a week from Boxing Day, operating temporarily from the current visitor centre. The Shire will hold a special council meeting on the proposal next Tuesday. At the meeting, councillors will vote on an officer’s recommendation to grant the DCC use of the Denmark Visitor Centre and offer a cash contribution of $40,000 to run the centre from December 2 to April 30. Council has also been advised to rescind part of a resolution from its October council meeting involving a lease opportunity and funding for Denmark Tourism Incorporated. DCC president Sumer Addy said the community needed to act now. “Denmark is about to experience the busiest tourist season we have ever seen,” she said. “We need to welcome visitors to our town and ensure they have a visible visitor service option. “There will need to be a quick and large community effort to make it a success, requiring community members to come forward and donate time as volunteers at the Visitor Centre site.”