The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, today launched a $50,000 in regional tourism study in partnership with Captain Cook Cruises at King's Wharf in Sydney.
Minister Ferguson announced $24,000 in TQUAL Grants funding to contribute to a feasibility study into accommodated cruise and luxury coach tour packages in coastal and regional New South Wales. He welcomed the contribution of a further $26,000 from Captain Cook Cruises for the study to examine the market potential of short-break holiday itineraries to regions including the Hawkesbury River, Hunter Valley and Southern Highlands using cruise ship and coach transport.
The cruise industry is one of Australia's fastest growing tourism sectors. It contributed $1.2 billion to the Australian economy in 2007-08, up 54 per cent ($781 million) on 2006-07.
Minister Ferguson said: "Dispersing cruise ship passengers into regional areas makes sense. Australians have accumulated 123 million days of annual leave worth $33 billion in wages. The Australian Government and Tourism Australia's "No Leave No Life" campaign encourages workers to use their leave to take a short break in Australia. Developing new and innovative travel experiences provides a further incentive for workers to take a break and visit regional New South Wales.
"Tourism is the lifeblood of many regional economies and this funding provides an opportunity for regions to further benefit from the Sydney international gateway and domestic market.
"Successfully dispersing visitors to other areas depends on a network of good roads and access into regions. The Australian Government's $2.3 billion in road infrastructure funding for Sydney and the surrounding regions is an investment in economic development and tourism.
"By encouraging visitors to travel beyond Sydney, the Australian Government is supporting tourism jobs across a range of professions including chefs, tour operators, accommodation managers, park rangers, wait staff, bus drivers and many others.
"Through the TQUAL Grants program the Australian Government is investing almost $8.3 million in seventy projects across Australia including $1.9 million in NSW. These targeted investments promote growth and job creation throughout the Australian tourism industry." he said.
In New South Wales the tourism industry provides employment for over 160,000 people and contributes approximately $3.5 billion to the state economy in 2007-08. Tourism in the Sydney region has performed well over the last year, with visitor expenditure increasing by 1.1 per cent or $130 million in 2009.
The Australian Government is investing in tourism marketing to support further growth in international and domestic tourism visitors. The new Tourism Australia $150 million global marketing campaign "There's Nothing Like Australia" will showcase Australia to the world.
Minister Ferguson said: "The new campaign, timed to capitalise on the return of consumer confidence, invites Australians to share their favourite place or experience by loading personalised images and stories online. The campaign will stimulate international interest and encourage even more international visitors to discover Australia."
The significance of tourism across Australia is recognised in the Australian Government's National Long-Term Tourism Strategy, which, in partnership with industry and state and territory governments, aims to improve product quality and accreditation, build a skilled and innovative workforce, unlock investment in infrastructure, and make the most of our natural competitive advantages such as our landscapes and indigenous and cultural heritage.