Dubbo tourism on the climb after country and outback visitor summit

The Destination Country and Outback Visitor Economy Summit event MC said the event was a great opportunity for businesses in the visitor community to get practical and for him to see what the region had to offer.

"What I like about today is that you normally get talked at during a summit, but this is different because it's inclusive and we are stopping and working out what's useful," he told the Daily Liberal on Wednesday, March 8.

"It's really about helping people grow their businesses in the visitor community and that is invaluable."

Ideas were flowing as different businesses and event organisers collaborated on ideas to bring more people to Dubbo and the surrounding towns.

"We heard stories of people out there doing it really well and could learn from what they're doing and not doing, or what didn't work for them," he said.

Carl Solomon, a director at Destination Marketing Store was inspired by the local community, citing their passion and determination as motivating.

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"A lot of operators spoke about their vision and what it takes to bring it to life, and how having a customer focus can lift the game for the whole region," he said.

"I think collaboration and the 'we are stronger together' motto is one of the big key messages."

Mr Collin said hearing about other people's struggles has also allowed businesses and event organisers to realise they aren't alone.

"They can tap into that community and then they have leverage to grow as well," he said.

As tourism is dynamic, Mr Solomon said evolving businesses is an important message for business owners to hold onto.

"We all evolve - our choices, our preferences, our motivations even evolve over time, so how do we evolve our business to reflect that?" he asked.

With the theme of 'from little things big things grow', Mr Collin said it became apparent everyone had examples of little things they did that generated massive outcomes.

"It's refreshing to see that people don't have to reinvent their entire business, they can just make small changes, that makes it doable, accessible and tangible," he said.

The drive and determination to keep going even when times get tough is something that both men have walked away with.

"I love doing this, seeing the different we can make because these people will leave and we will have given them a leg up, not that they needed one, but I have just learnt so much," Mr Collins said.

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