THE State Government has committed to a record promotional spend of more than $22 million over the next 12 months to support and grow rural and regional NSW’s tourism industry, Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall announced today.
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Mr Marshall said the increased focus capitalised on the unprecedented growth in visitation, overnight stays, and expenditure over the last year.
It would help achieve the ambitious target, announced yesterday, of doubling overnight visitor spend in the bush to $25 billion by 2030.
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“It’s vital that we maintain this momentum, and ensure our rural and regional communities, particularly those areas impacted by this crippling drought, continue to benefit from the overall growth we’re seeing in the tourism industry,” Mr Marshall said.
“The funding will support the delivery of 144 individual programs, with a strong focus on campaigns driving visitation to rural and regional NSW.
“To promote the diversity of our regions and the hundreds of events on offer in rural NSW, Destination NSW will deliver a Drives Campaign showcasing the whole of the State. This will encourage visitors to get out and about and see more of NSW, and support local economies at this critical time.”
Mr Marshall said that maintaining investment in marketing campaigns was critical for tourist numbers and visitor expenditure in NSW to grow.
“This Government is committed to building on NSW’s reputation as a destination of choice, for both domestic and international visitors.
“In the year ending March 2018, 4.3 million international visitors came to NSW, spending around $10.5 billion – that’s a seven percent increase on 2016 figures.
“Domestic visitors have also supported the regional tourism boom. According to the latest National Visitor Survey for the year ending March 2018, growth in regional NSW outperformed regional Queensland (including the Gold Coast) for the first time since statistics have been recorded.”
