The Tourism & Transport Forum Australia (TTF) has backed the move by the NSW Government to overhaul of the State’s regional tourism approach and the creation of six new Destination Networks to encourage more Australians and overseas visitors to experience regional and rural NSW.
A massive $43 million over the next four years will be invested in six new Destination Networks – Riverina Murray, Southern NSW, North Coast, Country & Outback, Sydney Surrounds North and Sydney Surrounds South – that will work closely with tourism organisations, industry, Destination NSW and Government to re-energise tourism campaigns to attract more visitors.
TTF CEO, Margy Osmond, said “NSW is more than just Sydney – it is a State of exciting and diverse experiences that visitors, particularly international visitors, are increasingly craving and we need to be getting the message out on what regional and rural NSW has to offer.”
“The new Destination Networks deliver on a key recommendation of the Visitor Economy Taskforce Report. The NSW Government and the Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres are to be congratulated on reforming regional and rural tourism into a modern and dynamic structure that will work more effectively with key stakeholders,” Osmond added.
Regional and rural NSW attracts more than double the domestic overnight visitors than Sydney – 19.5 million visitors to regional NSW in 2015 compared to 9.3 million to Sydney in the same period.
