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

Gladstone Area Promotion and Development Ltd will receive a special funding grant of $72,000 to develop a feasibility study for Kroombit Tops National Park and implement a mentoring program for local tourism operators, Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor announced today.

Mr Lawlor said the grant, part of $1 million in Queensland Government funding allocated to the state’s 14 regional tourism organisations, would help Gladstone and Area Promotion and Development Pty Ltd enhance the region’s tourism credentials and help entice higher visitor numbers.

“These funds will allow Gladstone Area Promotion and Development Ltd to assess the feasibility of a new tourism development at Kroombit Tops National Park and implement a mentoring program for local tourism operators to help them improve their business, Mr Lawlor said.

“Gladstone 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 ended September 2009, 61,000 international and 321,000 domestic overnight visitors visited Gladstone.

“Of these, 53,000 international and 179,000 domestic overnight visitors came specifically on holiday, making tourism a key economic driver for the region.

“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 9:20 AM