NSW sets ambitious regional tourism target

The NSW Government’s focus of growing tourism in rural and regional tourism has seen it announce it’s first regional tourism target – which aims to see a doubling of current expenditure.

Making the announcement this weel, NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Adam Marshall, said the NSW Government would work with industry to reach an ambitious target of $20 billion in visitor expenditure in rural and regional NSW by 2025, rising to $25 billion by 2030.

Minister Marshall stated “we’ve set the State’s first regional tourism target, so that every corner of NSW gets its fair share of the record tourist dollars and investment coming into our State.

“The tourism sector in NSW has never been stronger - we are by far the number one destination for domestic and international tourists by every measure.

“But our current State wide tourism target has Sydney as the heavy lifter getting us to number one. It’s now time to look beyond Sydney and do the work needed to turbocharge tourism in our rural and regional areas and double the current record levels of visitor expenditure.”

Minister Marshall said the regional target was about keeping tourist dollars in NSW for as long as possible instead of letting them disappear elsewhere, adding “this is an ambitious target but one that is certainly achievable.

 “We want international tourists flying into Sydney and heading out to rural and regional NSW, rather than flying to Melbourne or Brisbane.

“A tourism target for rural and regional NSW is our commitment to local operators, businesses, pubs, cafes and hotels - from the coast to the bush - that the NSW Government will ensure everyone gets a fair share of the State’s tourism boom.”

The regional target will be supported by a range of initiatives by the NSW Government to encourage greater visitation to rural and regional NSW.

This includes increased funding for marketing campaigns, more rural and regional events, improved tourism infrastructure and measures to address skills shortages in the tourism and hospital sectors.

Image: The Illawarra Fly.