The Australian Regional Tourism Convention 2018—taking place in the Tweed from Tuesday to Thursday this week—has attracted the highest number of attendees in five years, with 188 people registered for the event. Soaring attendee numbers for the 2018 convention reflects a nation-wide trend towards greater interest in growing Australia’s regional tourism sector. In recent years, the industry has emphasised the importance of continued professional development and learning. Some 181 delegates have come from all levels of government, regional tourism organisations, tourism professionals and businesses.
More than 40 speakers have been leading sessions on hot topics for the industry, including how to increase regional dispersal of visitors out of capital cities and into regional areas, Indigenous tourism, agritourism, technological advancement and the future of visitor information centres in Australia.
Agritourism and the opportunities it brings to regional communities is high on the agenda with ART recently releasing Australia’s first National look at the state of and opportunities that agritourism brings to regional areas.
ART Chair, Simon McArthur commented: “With drought-stricken farmers struggling and generational farms looking at closing, tourism provides a real opportunity for the industry to diversify and survive. For many, tourism provides the difference between being open or selling. The more farms that survive, the more regional communities survive. ART plays a critical role in driving real change for this important sector to grow and thrive in our communities.”
The 2018 convention is being hosted in the Tweed in partnership with destination sponsors Tweed
The most significant learning and networking opportunity of the year for the regional tourism industry, this convention is designed for local councils, regional tourism organisations, tourism professionals, business and government personnel who wish to contribute to the future of regional tourism in Australia.
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