Fraser Coast receives $72,000 tourism grant
Posted by editor (editor) on Jan 14 2010
2010 >>

Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism will receive a special funding grant of $72,000 to develop an e-tourism project and plan for a marine biodiversity and indigenous cultural centre, Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor announced today.

Mr Lawlor said the E-Tourism 2010 project would help local operators develop the skills to implement their own digital strategy.

“In the age of technology in a highly-competitive industry, it’s important for tourism operators to have a good understanding of the different channels they can use to market their product,” he said.

“Digital marketing is a cost-effective way of tapping into a wide range of potential travellers but it is sometimes difficult for small tourism operators to know how to start using these channels.”

Mr Lawlor said the grant would also fund a feasibility study to develop a Marine Biodiversity and Indigenous Cultural Centre project.

“The Fraser Coast region has a rich indigenous cultural history and is also famous for its marine attractions,” Mr Lawlor said.

“A Marine Biodiversity and Indigenous Cultural Centre would celebrate this history and provide a tourism hub which would create jobs and bring tourist dollars into the region.”

Mr Lawlor said the grant was part of $1 million in Queensland Government funding allocated to the state’s 14 regional tourism organisations, would help Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism enhance the region’s tourism credentials and help entice higher visitor numbers.

“These funds will allow Fraser Coast North Burnett Tourism to further develop its e-tourism capabilities and to move forward its marine biodiversity and Indigenous cultural centre,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Fraser Coast already has some fantastic tourism product but both government and industry need to continue to raise the bar by looking for new opportunities, new markets and better ways of doing things.”

Mr Lawlor said in the year to September 2009, 189,000 international and 858,000 overnight domestic visitors spent time in the Fraser Coast region

“Of these, 417,000 domestic and 181,000 international visitors came specifically on holiday, making tourism a key economic driver.

“The $1 million in grant funding is a State Government commitment to fund tourism development initiatives regional tourism organisations would otherwise be unable to undertake.

“Regional tourism organisations across the state will use their allocations for a range of projects from new product feasibility studies to industry education programs.”

Mr Lawlor said the funding was part of the State Government’s new Tourism Action Plan to 2012.

“Competition for the tourist dollar is increasingly fierce and it’s important for destinations to constantly look at ways to improve their visitor experience – be it investigating new product opportunities, increasing customer service levels or providing business advice and support to operators,” he said.

“I was pleased to see so many high-quality submissions and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”

Last changed: Jan 14 2010 at 9:21 AM