by Mat Churchill

The region's new branding 'Adventurous by nature', will be launched to the public in March next year according to Tourism Queensland's Director of the Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef, but it is still unclear how the Port Douglas retail sector can leverage the new campaign.

Mr Gillies said that the tag line reflected the "adventurous personality" of the region, but said it was impossible to communicate the many reasons for people to visit the destination as part of a brand design.

"The simple fact is when you're establishing your brand you have to work on the core personality of the area. You can't say 'come for the reef, the food, the shopping, and the beaches'. You have to hone in on the core proposition."

Despite a tourism and retail sector in great need of immediate assistance, Mr Gillies said experience had taught them that significant campaigns leading into the wet season were a waste of money.

"We've got about 20 years of living memory in the marketing of the region. If we're going to make a major investment, it'll be close to a $1 million investment, there's no way in the world we'd run it in the wet season.

"We have tried for 20 years to stimulate the wet season. It is not a wise investment to make," he said.

Mr Gillies said the best way to help the retail sector is to attract as many visitors to the area as possible.

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Time will tell whether the new brand campaign can deliver these visitors, but Doug Calvert who sits on the Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce and has four shops of his own, hopes discussions with the tourism bodies will take place in order for the retail sector to maximise any potential benefit.

"No one has approached us but it would make a lot of sense. If people think we need more interface between Chamber and Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree then that's a good thing.

"If they're marketing it ('Adventurous by nature') right then I guess it could work, but I'd hate to think it could stay the older group. The number one reason for people coming up (to Port Douglas) was rest and relaxation."

Mr Calvert said that most retailers understood the need to review their product lines to ensure they account for a changing town and visitor demographic.

"They're doing that as we speak. A lot of the high priced clothing stores are offering lower priced stock. We never sold stuff like this four years ago.

"If you keep sitting on the same way of doing things you're going to go backwards. I encourage businesses to review what they're doing," he said. "There's a changing face in town now that Target is here."

Mr Calvert said the current lull in the retail market was "the worst anyone has ever seen", and encouraged people to look in Port Douglas first before they go to Cairns for their shopping needs.

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