Regional Visitor Economy Fund (RVEF) – Assessors Feedback
Background
In applying for the RVEF it is important to remember that the purpose of the application is
to demonstrate to the Assessment Panel, that the proposal is a strategic priority within the
referenced Destination Management Plan (DMP), which will assist the NSW Government in
achieving its goals of doubling overnight visitor spend by 2020. Given the demand for any
funding program always exceeds supply, it is essential that applicants make the most of the
opportunity to ‘sell’ their proposal in terms of the program guidelines. When evaluating the
proposal the Assessment Panel can only consider the information supplied – do not assume
the panel knows about the product, market or destination.
All applications were assessed against the assessment criteria set out in the application
form. The Assessment Panel comprised four members and each application was assessed by
two assessors – one from Destination NSW and either a representative from the
Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism or Tourism Australia.
The following feedback summarises the key observations and comments made by the
Assessment Panel when reviewing the applications received.
General feedback
Applicants need to:

Answer all the questions and answer the question where it is asked. Some applicants
attempted to answer all the questions in their project description. This often resulted in
the applicant not clearly explaining the proposed project and information being missed
when the applicant answered a later question.

Clearly and accurately reference attachments – have tabs to highlight individual
attachments and include attachment number, page numbers, paragraph or table
numbers in the question's answer, to allow the Assessor to review the relevant
section(s) that specifically support the proposal. Do not attach documents that are not
referenced in the application as the Assessment Panel will not read them.

Provide evidence to support claims made in the application. Some examples include: If
there is consumer/visitor feedback that supports the proposal, supply it. If there is data
on the number of potential bookings lost, due to a lack of capacity, attach it. If there is
DA approval, supply a copy of the approval and the plans. For any claims made in the
application, think about what evidence can be supplied to support the claim.

Provide a financial allocation, within the Project Budget, for an independent audit at the
completion of the project.

Have project start dates that are at least one month after the anticipated date of the
funding grants being announced i.e. at least three months after the Contestable funding
round closes. This will ensure there is sufficient time for the funding agreement to be
negotiated and signed by both parties.

Have a number of KPIs for the project including at least one that specifically and directly
measures the project’s contribution to doubling overnight visitor spend. Applications
that only relied on NVS or IVS data to measure their project did not receive a high score.
The NVS and IVS can be influenced by many factors, and will not measure the
contribution of the project. Similarly only having measures such as website hits,
Facebook 'likes', enquiries, etc. did not score as well as projects that could also measure
the increase in bookings and the value of those bookings. Provide a combination of the
hard and soft measures.

Clearly explain the ROI measure and provide current data to demonstrate the capacity
to collect and report against the ROI.

Have an ROI that considers the NSW Government’s return on investment e.g. growth in
overnight visitor spend within NSW. An ROI that only considers an individual business’s
bottom line does not provide evidence that the project is necessarily a good investment
for the NSW Government. Include targets that are within the life of the project’s
reporting period. That way results can be supplied to the NSW Government on what has
been achieved. Some applicants only supplied a 2020 target which would not allow
them to report any results in the short term. By providing both short and long term
targets the project can demonstrate the project not only contributes now, but has the
potential to keep on delivering results into the future.
Assessment Criterion 1 – Contribution to doubling overnight visitor spend
A strong answer that scored well was able to demonstrate clear linkages to a number of the
KPIs and the ROI regarding the projects contribution to doubling overnight visitor spend to
the region, not just to an individual business. Applications scored more highly if they were
able to show the project could continue to deliver growth in overnight visitation beyond the
life of the project and demonstrate the project was the most effective way to deliver the
results proposed.
Applicants need to:

Have at least one KPI that directly measures the project’s contribution to doubling
overnight visitor spend and provide current benchmark data to measure the growth
against.

Consider how they can measure the contribution of the project to their region, not just
their own business.

Include existing and proposed pricing, current and proposed number of visitors/guests
rather than just percentage figures.

If it is a new development and no benchmark data exists, look for data from similar
developments in other destinations. This will assist in supporting the forecasts
proposed in the application.
Assessment Criterion 2 - Alignment with industry priorities and strategies
Good applications not only identified the strategies that their project aligned with, but also
offered specific evidence of how their project would fit into the strategy and how their
project would contribute to the long term aim of strategy.
Applicants need to:

Consider which of the Visitor Economy Industry Action Plan priorities the proposal most
aligns with, rather than trying to demonstrate how the project aligns with them all.
Focusing on just a few priorities, and demonstrating these linkages strongly, scored
more highly than poor answers against a number of priorities.

If your project contributes to specific priorities e.g. growing visitor numbers, visitor
spend, improving the visitor experience etc., include KPIs to measure the project’s
contribution to these priorities.

Select the most compelling sections of the relevant DMP which demonstrate support
for the project. For example, consider an application proposing the refurbishment of a
hotel from a 3 star rating to 4.5 star rating, which of the following provides the
strongest support for the project?
o a general reference within the DMP about the need to refresh tired
accommodation within the region
OR
o a specific reference in the DMP which states ‘A game changing priority for the
region is developing 4.5 star hotel accommodation in (that specific location),
to appeal to a high yielding market it has historically been failing to attract’.

Include copies of any feasibility studies or local strategic plans that support the
proposal.

Clearly and accurately reference attachments – have tabs to highlight individual
attachments and include attachment number, page numbers, paragraph or table
numbers in the answer to allow the Assessor to review the relevant section(s) they
believe specifically support their proposal.
Assessment Criterion 3 – Capacity to deliver the project
Good answers provided detailed project plans with timelines, budgets, quotes from
suppliers, information on any consultants, contractors or existing employees who would be
delivering the project. If the work proposed required development approval and plans,
copies of these were supplied. Information was supplied on similar work/projects already
undertaken by the applicant and, where possible, examples (e.g. creative work for a
marketing activity) and results were supplied.
Applicants need to:

Provide evidence of the capacity and experience of the team delivering the project.

If a Development Application is required, already have this approved and attach the
plans for the project.

Include quotes for the proposed work.

Provide detailed project plans with realistic timelines - complex projects requiring
extensive stakeholder engagement forced into short timelines, do not reassure the
assessment panel.

Details of project planning, such as how the project would be managed when the
business had to carry on around it, is important to include in this response. For example
if a business were renovating, it could demonstrate how any disruption to its guests
would be managed.

Clearly and accurately reference attachments – have tabs to highlight individual
attachments and include attachment number, page numbers, paragraph or table
numbers included in the answer.

Address how their project demonstrated efficient, effective and ethical use of grant
funding. Many applications did not attempt to cover this point. However as this is a
NSW Government Program this was a very important aspect to address, as taxpayers
have a right to see that their tax dollars are being utilised in an efficient and transparent
manner. Demonstrating this in an application would have considerably strengthened
the score received for this criterion.

Consider explaining why the project cannot be privately financed and the benefits to
the NSW Government of their investment e.g. quicker implementation, delivering
quicker results than if the project was only privately funded.

Provide very clear details regarding part completed projects. The Assessors need to
understand what work has already been undertaken and what components any new
funding would be used for.
Assessment Criterion 4 – Strategic and collaborative value
It was important that applicants demonstrated the strategic and collaborative value of their
project. Assessors looked favourably upon responses that demonstrated how the other
tourism operators in a region would be part of the project’s success and provided evidence
of the applicant’s partnerships and contribution to the region. Providing commitment
statements, outlining stakeholder financial investment, into the project demonstrated
strong collaborative support for the project.
Many applicants only stated the expected outcomes for their own business but did not or
were unable to demonstrate that their project had a greater impact on their local area or
tourism region.
Applicants need to:

Provide letters of support from other commercial stakeholders and tourism operators
which described how the project would add strategic and collaborative value in a
region.

Provide research and report on the economic, social and other value expected from
successful completion of their project, and provided details of visitor expenditure in
their region and sound estimates of the value of increased visitation to their region.

Provide information on past successes of similar collaborative efforts e.g. copies of
collaborative collateral and packages, booking data (numbers, dollar value etc.)

Data and anecdotal information from booking agents, ITOs etc. that support the
collaborative value of the proposal.

Supply references to the relevant DMPs that highlight the strategic nature of the
proposal.
Your Feedback
If any applicant has feedback regarding the guidelines, application and assessment process
for the RVEF you can email your comments to rvef@dnsw.com.au.