Australian Regional Tourism Convention to push boundaries

The 2018 Australian Regional Tourism Convention will next month bring together more than 150 tourism professionals from across the nation to the Tweed region of NSW to discuss the future of regional tourism in Australia.

With the theme ‘Pushing the boundaries’, attendees will explore new and exciting innovations on the horizon for Australia’s booming tourism industry. Topics on the agenda include the Federal Government’s policy industry settings, agritourism, regional aviation and the future of Australia’s visitor information centres.

The line-up of speakers includes Linda Tillman, Managing Director of the Tilma Group, who brings more than 10 years of regional tourism experience to the table.

Tillman (pictured) sees that it is an exciting time to be working in the industry, explaining “one of the biggest changes we’ve seen recently is the level of interest from regional and rural communities in diversifying their economies and exploring increased opportunities.

“As a result, we’re seeing more festivals and events held in regional destinations. But how do we make these events sustainable? Regional and rural destinations need to look strategically at what they have to offer as visitor destinations and how events and tourism are intertwined.”

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall is expecting the Convention to provide an opportunity for the tourism industry to invest in new activity across our regions, adding “the tourism business is everybody’s business and the more activity across our regions means more heads on hotel beds, diners in restaurants and shoppers in boutiques, all boosting the local economy and generating more jobs.”

The 2018 Australian Regional Tourism (ART) Convention will take place from 23rd to 25th October.

Click here for more information on the ART Convention in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.