More than 200 tourism delegates descended on the Manning Entertainment Centre on Monday, March 13 as the Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Annual Tourism Conference kicked off.
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LGNSW president Keith Rhoades officially opened the conference, saying regional and rural tourism injected $14.4 billion into the state’s economy each year, accounting for around 84,600 jobs in rural and regional NSW.
“NSW cities are known worldwide, but our regions are increasingly carving out their own tourism identities based on pristine environments, rich natural and cultural heritage, and magnificent food and wine offerings,” Cr Rhoades said.
Cr Rhoades welcomed both NSW Tourism for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall and NSW Disability Services Minister Ray Williams to the conference, and commended their work to leverage the tourism dollar for the ultimate benefit of local communities.
Clr Rhoades said the growth of inclusive tourism was unlocking services, attractions and events for people with disabilities as well as their carers and families.
Mr Marshall said the NSW Government has committed to a new $300 million Regional Growth – Environment and Tourism Fund.
“We are entering an exciting time for tourism in rural and regional NSW, with the new $300 million fund being the single largest investment ever from a state government and reflecting our renewed focus on attracting more people to visit, enjoy and invest in rural and regional areas like Taree,” Mr Marshall said.
During his address Mr Marshall announced that applications are now open for the second round of the NSW Government’s 2017 Incubator Fund. The fund offers one off annual grants up to $20,000 to event organisers staging an event for the first or second time.
“This funding will provide vital seed funding to these new events to help them through the initial difficult and turbulent establishment phase and assist with elements such as staging costs, marketing, publicity and research,” Mr Marshall said.
“We saw the first incubator event held just over a week ago, by Opera by the Lake at Tuncurry, and I can’t wait to see more innovative events taking place right across the state.”
The Conference runs for two days, and includes sessions on Visitor Information Centres, heritage and environmental tourism. Delegates will also learn the outcomes of Destination NSW’s Regional Review, and hear from TripAdvisor about the use of data in destination marketing.
