Featherdale Wildlife Park celebrated its key trade partners at an intimate lunch at West Hotel Sydney on Tuesday 6 August. The special event was designed to recognise a cross-section of the park’s stakeholders, from tourism boards to tour operators, who play critical roles in supporting Featherdale Wildlife Park and Australian wildlife tourism more broadly.
Guests included Tourism Australia’s acting Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, Destination New South Wales’ Director of Trade and Industry Development, Kylie Menzies, Western Sydney Business Chamber’s Bruce McClelland, Dr. Rebecca Johnson of the Australian Museum Research Institute, Holly Vaughn of the Australian Tourism Export Council, Les Clefs d’Or Australia’s Jonathan Fambart, and key tour operators including Diamond Tours, FJ Tours, Andersons Tours, Hana Tour Oceania, JTB Australia and OTT.
The invaluable support from these partners has enabled critically endangered species projects such as the Tiger Quoll Breeding and the Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Programs, and supported Australian Museum’s research into the mapping of genetic codes of the koala.
“We are delighted to bring together members of the industry, all just as passionate about wildlife tourism as we are, to thank you for your ongoing support and contribution to Featherdale Wildlife Park”, said General Manager, Tony Chiefari. “Featherdale’s commitment to conservation, and our desire to put animal welfare at the heart of everything we do, is what makes the park so special for our animals and for the 600,000+ visitors who experience Australian wildlife with us every year. Our wonderful partners make this a reality”.
Nature-based tourism is a critical driver for the New South Wales economy, with nature-based visitors staying 134.8 million nights and spending $21.3 billion in New South Wales in 2018, up 5.2% and 9.1% respectively. Featherdale Wildlife Park is a signficant drawcard for these domestic and international travellers as it is home to 1,700 Australian native animals, Australia’s largest native collection, and New South Wales’ largest collection of koalas. Koala-related tourism is estimated to be worth over AU$1.5 billion per annum to the economy.
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