Efforts to rebuild Orange's tourism industry after the coronavirus lockdown jumped out of the starting blocks on Thursday as filming began for a new campaign.
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It is aimed at getting the friends and families of people who live in the Central West to start visiting them again.
Several 'local identities' including Fiona Schofield of Fiona Schofield Millinery and Fresh Fodder, Tom Ward of Swinging Bridge Wines, Belinda Satterthwaite from Tomolly in Carcoar and Tommy Jeffs from Canowindra will be telling their stories on several short videos to be promoted on social media.
It's been a while since we've been able to see friends and family who may be living away.
- Caddie Marshall, general manager Orange360
Regions featured in the campaign include Orange, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Bathurst, Oberon, Lithgow, Forbes, Lachlan, Weddin and Parkes.
Orange360 general manager Caddie Marshall said the filming, involving videographer Andrew Barnes, was occuring over three days.
"We're going to roll it out as soon as possible," she said.
"We want to be out of the gate quite quickly."
The 'We Want You Back' campaign is aimed at relatives and friends as they make up a major part of tourists to the Central West.
"It's been a while since we've been able to see friends and family who may be living away," she said.
Ms Marshall said they were also encouraging people to put up their own videos telling their stories about the virtues of the Central West.
She said it was the first of several campaigns that would be rolled out to bring back tourists.
Orange City Council mayor Reg Kidd said while it was not clear when people could start holidaying again he wanted the region to be foremost in their plans.
"What we do know is that at some point in the coming months, we will be able to travel again, and a trip to see our friends and family will be at the top of the list," he said.
"If people are planning a trip, we want to make sure our region is at the top of everybody's must-visit list once they can travel to regional NSW again.
"So now's the time to be getting our campaign resources ready to roll."
Cabonne Shire mayor Kevin Beatty said the visiting friends and relatives market made up about 35-40 per cent of the tourism market.
"The aim of the 'We Want You Back' campaign is to create a personal connection between the locals and travellers we want to welcome back to help stimulate the economy once restrictions are lifted," he said.
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