TTF applauds NSW Government’s regional tourism initiative: Expanding regional product is “critical to building the visitor economy”

The Tourism & Transport Forum says today’s commitment by the NSW Government to provide $300 million to boost regional environment and tourist attractions is a vital step towards broadening the tourism product on offer to domestic and international tourists.

The Chief Executive Officer of TTF, Margy Osmond, said promotion and development of attractions in regional Australia was critical to ensuring that tourism continued to evolve beyond the well-established “capital and coast” attractions, which already feature heavily in tourism marketing.

Ms Osmond said: “Tourism is Australia’s new super growth industry, but for it to remain so, we need to constantly improve upon and expand what we offer to visitors.

“Expanding our tourism product by adding more regional attractions is critical to building the national visitor economy.

“TTF has long campaigned for much greater integration of regional Australia into our tourism inventory, and applauds the NSW Government’s initiative to provide new funding for regional tourism and environment projects, including food and wine experiences, national parks and heritage buildings.

“Last year, Australia attracted a record 8.3 million international visitors. There’s a huge opportunity to build upon this, particularly if we deliver more and better regional product, not just to the surging and emerging markets of Asia, but also to our more established markets including UK, Europe and North America.”

TTF recently released a study called Built heritage and the national economy: The case for adapative re-use of heritage assets, which highlighted examples in Australia and overseas of heritage buildings being revitalised for use as visitor infrastructure.

The study, in partnership with the Mawland Group, found more than two million international visitors per year visited historic or heritage buildings, sites or monuments in Australia.

The study also found cultural and heritage tourists spent 24 per cent more, and stayed 24 per cent longer in Australia than the average international visitor, while domestic tourists made 4.9 million overnight trips and 4.1 million day trips to these attractions.