RAC expands accommodation portfolio
Three Coral Coast properties join a holiday park in Cervantes as the organisation adds to its WA tourism portfolio, Gemma Nisbet reports.
The RAC has added three properties to its growing portfolio of tourism holdings around WA — the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort in Shark Bay, the Exmouth Cape Holiday Park and the Ningaloo Reef Resort in Coral Bay.
The three Coral Coast locations join the RAC’s first tourism property, the Pinnacles Holiday Park in Cervantes, which it bought last year.
According to RAC executive general manager brand and tourism Tony Pickworth, the new acquisitions are part of the organisation’s plan to invest in tourism assets around WA.
“Our focus is on good-quality, affordable family accommodation, which is fairly broad I suppose, but we want to cover everything from camping and caravanning through to the nice villa-type cabin accommodation,” Mr Pickworth explains.
“Obviously different families have different requirements, so we want to offer a broad range of accommodation, but principally looking after families and being conscious of empty-nesters and people driving around Australia in caravans.
“So it’s really that mobile market — holidays for families and empty-nesters as well.”
RAC members will receive a minimum discount of 10 per cent at the properties — “the idea is that if you’re an RAC member, you’ll get access to these places at a fairly attractive rate,” Mr Pickworth said.
There are plans for varying degrees of development at all the sites, from expanding the amount of accommodation at some properties to improving infrastructure and facilities at others.
“Our approach is to not go into hotels or anything; it’s to keep it at that family, affordable level, but invest in improving the assets and put in facilities that are needed,” Mr Pickworth says.
He sees the move as part of a wider effort to help boost local tourism.
“The RAC has been involved in promoting tourism for more than 100 years — it goes back to 1911 when we produced the first touring map of the South West,” he said. “We see our role now, given we’re a West Australian organisation, to promote the good Aussie holiday.”
Indeed, the ultimate aim is for the RAC to have “around 10 assets around the State in the major tourist destinations”.
“We’re actively looking in the South West and the idea is we’ll have a number of sites down there as well.”
fact file
See racparksandresorts.com.au.
Source: The West Australian, Gemma Nisbet, 23rd November 2015
Originally published as: RAC expands accommodation portfolio
