Welcome to April’s Destination Download!
In this edition, we bring you some great opportunities to have your say on the strategic direction of the industry at both a state and federal level. The South Coast Centre of Excellence has officially wrapped up and after receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback we’re excited to share that this pilot, funded through the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, has led to the development of a state-wide Centre of Excellence. Nominations are now open for the 2024 NSW Tourism Awards and voting has now commenced for the 2024 NSW Top Tourism Town Awards, so be sure to check those out and give your support. Finally, we look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming Visitor Economy Symposium. We’ve got a great line up for you, so stay tuned for more details – don’t forget to register as places for this free event are limited!
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Image: Fitzroy Falls, Southern Highlands Credit: Destination NSW.
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DSSS Visitor Economy Symposium – REGISTER NOW!
We are excited to announce the DSSS Visitor Economy Symposium is returning in 2024!
Being held on Tuesday 4th June at Park Proxi Gibraltar Bowral, the theme for the day will be ‘Navigating Challenging Times’.
In these turbulent times for businesses, the DSSS Visitor Economy Symposium is designed with your real-world challenges in mind. We will be focusing on delivering you tangible, practical outcomes that you can implement to support your business.
Along with developing a toolbox full of new tips and tricks, you’ll also be able to connect with fellow business owners and industry experts who understand the journey you’re on.
Keep an eye out for updates on our jam-packed workshop-style program including the speakers we’ve lined up – pop the 4th of June in your diary, we look forward to seeing you!
WHEN: Tuesday 4th June, 2024
TIME: 9am to 4pm
WHERE: Park Proxi Gibraltar Bowral
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Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 Review – Have Your Voice Heard!
To unlock the state’s full potential, the Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 is being reviewed and evolving to showcase the best of NSW to the world by focussing on the diverse experiences on offer for visitors.
The Government’s new tourism strategy seeks to improve cultural experiences for tourists while also expanding visitation to Western Sydney and regional NSW. The impending opening of Western Sydney International and Newcastle International Airports represents further potential for growth in the sector. The review of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 presents a pivotal opportunity to shape the future of the visitor economy in NSW.
The strategy review will seek to formalise the NSW Government’s focus on experience tourism and ensure that the state’s approach to tourism, the NSW Government’s Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy (Creative Communities), the night-time economy agenda and the regulatory environments that underpin them, are in lockstep.
Destination NSW, is inviting visitor economy stakeholders from across the state to contribute their insights and expertise.
Individuals and organisations are invited to join the conversation and share their perspectives by submitting written submissions online via Have Your Say (submissions close Sunday 2 June).
The NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 was launched in 2021 and included a commitment to review it after three years.
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THRIVE 2030 Strategy Industry Consultation
It’s time for Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), as the policy and program lead for tourism in the Australian Government, to start talking about the action plan for the next phase of THRIVE 2030, the national strategy for the Visitor Economy.
The Consolidation Phase (2025 – 2027) will be here soon, and Austrade want to know what your opportunities, challenges and priorities are to feed into the development process. It’s easy to have your say – complete the survey online (it should take fewer than 10 minutes and you can skip questions that aren’t of interest)
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Image: Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan in Australia for Bridgerton in Bowral.
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Reminisce On The Romance That Was Bridgerton In Bowral
Bridgerton in Bowral, Netflix’s weeklong celebration of the upcoming third season of the iconic Shondaland series Bridgerton in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, has officially drawn to a dazzling close.
From 16-23 April, regency romance swept through Bowral, as storefronts were transformed with over 3,000m of bunting, masses of native florals and 500 roses set up by 12 florists, and thousands of Bridgerton fans from across Australia and around the globe dressed in their regency best, experienced a fan event like no other.
In a special preview of the eagerly anticipated release of Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 on 16 May, 2,000 lucky fans were treated to an exclusive screening of the first episode of the season at the Empire Cinema.
The garden party soiree, which took place on the final day of the celebration, was set amidst a backdrop of regal gardens and the historic charm of Milton Park Country House, with guests treated to Bridgerton inspired activities including palm and tarot readers, artists, a hot air balloon, regency dance classes and picnic fare.
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Video: Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton greet fans at a special fan high tea at Milton Park, Bowral.
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2024 NSW Tourism Awards Nominations Are Now Open!
The NSW Tourism Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the state’s tourism industry, and forms part of the prestigious Australian Tourism Awards.
Open to all tourism businesses within New South Wales, the submission and inspection-based program rewards business excellence, innovation and professionalism. There are 26 categories that businesses can nominate for, relevant to their business type, with category finalists and medallists announced at the gala event, held later in the year.
Gold medallists attain national recognition and will compete against finalists from other States and Territory’s in the Australian Tourism Awards program.
Submissions are completed via the businesses personalised online dashboard, where they can access supporting information, track submission progress and review final feedback.
Entering the awards supports businesses to:
- Raise their profile among industry and consumers.
- Undertake a focused review of business goals, results and plans
- Build morale and team spirit among staff and colleagues.
- Gain confidential feedback from our team of experienced judges.
- Benchmark your business against industry, both locally and across Australia
For more information on the awards including category descriptors see below.
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2024 NSW Top Tourism Town Awards Voting Now Open!
The Top Tourism Town Awards, powered by Business NSW, showcase the value of tourism to the towns and communities across NSW and celebrate the diversity and outstanding regional destinations of our State. A massive congratulations to the finalists from our Destination Network in the following categories:
Tiny Tourism Town
Small Tourism Town
Top Tourism Town
- Kiama
- Shellharbour
- Ulladulla
Show your support by voting for your favourite tourism town!
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Business & Skills Development, Resources, Events
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NSW Choose Tourism Program
Destination NSW is joining with the Australian Government to deliver a $1.4 million NSW Choose Tourism Program that aims to address workforce shortages in regional NSW.
The program will encourage young people, First Nations Australians, seniors and people living with a disability to pursue a career in the visitor economy, while also helping operators to attract, retain and upskill staff.
Expanding on the success of the 2022–23 pilot program, the South Coast Centre of Excellence, it will include five diverse initiatives to help bolster the visitor economy workforce in regional areas across the state. The initiatives include a schools’ program, targeted career promotion, vocational webinars, mentoring by industry leaders and professional development events.
The Choose Tourism Grant Program funding will also support a partnership with TAFE NSW to develop bespoke visitor economy training programs.
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Quick Tips For Creating Wellness Experiences
While wellness travel is commonly associated with spas, health resorts, and yoga retreats, providers of accommodation, attractions, tours, and activities in NSW have the opportunity to integrate wellness elements into their visitor experiences as well.
Explore how your business can incorporate wellness into your experience through the latest release of the Quick Tips for Creating Wellness Experiences.
The Quick tips for creating wellness experiences provides practical tips and advice including:
- Understanding the wellness visitor
- How to incorporate wellness elements into your experience
- Next steps on how to share your wellness experience offering.
The Quick Tips and on-demand webinar delivered by Destination NSW in collaboration with Droga & Co., are part of the NSW First Program to assist visitor economy businesses to develop, promote and sell products and experiences.
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Free Sustainability Webinars For Tourism Operators
Embracing sustainability can help your business reach new customers, build staff satisfaction, improve profitability and increase your resilience. Drawing from the new national Sustainable Tourism Toolkit, the Australian Government is hosting a free, four-part series of 1 hour webinars across April and May. Designed to meet the needs of small-to-medium tourism enterprises, the webinars will provide easy-to-understand advice on implementing sustainability practices, whether your business is new to sustainability or well on the journey.
There are four webinars in total, one of each of the four pillars of sustainable tourism as aligned with the national Sustainable Tourism Toolkit. All times are in AEST.
Webinar Details
- Managing your Business in a Sustainable Way
Date: April 30
Time: 12 – 1pm
- Environment and Climate Action
Date: May 2
Time: 12 – 1pm
- Respecting Culture
Date: May 9
Time: 12 – 1pm
- Creating positive social impact and telling your story
Date: May 15
Time: 12 – 1pm
These webinars are hosted by Austrade in partnership with Tourism Australia and all State and Territory Governments, and facilitated by The Tourism Collective.
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Cost-of-Living Pressures Increase
The latest NAB Consumer Sentiment Survey shows that more consumers have responded to cost-of-living pressures by cutting back on spending during the March quarter. Eating out at restaurants was the most common area for cutbacks (57 per cent versus 54 per cent in the last quarter), micro treats such as coffee and snacks (52 per cent versus 50 per cent), entertainment (49 per cent versus 47 per cent), car journeys to save petrol (46 per cent versus 45 per cent) and holiday plans (45 per cent versus 43 per cent). With the number of consumers making cutbacks continuing to rise, the biggest savings are coming from spending less on major household appliances ($554 up from $430 in the previous quarter) and holidays ($528 versus $409).
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Local Updates & New Product
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Blak Cede – NOW OPEN!
Blak Cede is an Aboriginal women-led social and cultural enterprise which cultivates traditional bush foods from their community garden to produce high quality products for their cafe and online store.
As the newest cafe on the block, Blak Cede aims to empower Koori women from the Shoalhaven area on the South Coast of NSW to lead self-determined lives by providing culturally safe employment and educational opportunities.
For more info and to check out their menu, see below!
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Grant & Funding Opportunities
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Electric Vehicle (EV) Destination Charging Grants
To help reach net zero by 2050 whilst also continuing to grow the our economy, a total of $10 million of funding has been made available in round 2 of the program. These grants will provide co-funding towards the purchase and installation of select 7kW to 22kW AC EV chargers as well as the first year of an annual EV charger software subscription.
Round 2 applications will now close on Friday 2 August 2024 at 5 pm.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Don’t forget between our updates you’ll find us on the socials – head over to follow us on LinkedIn and you’ll also find us on Instagram. We also encourage you to share our updates with your networks, simply forward this email and they can register here.
Talk soon,
The DSSS team
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