Gold Coast receives $71,800 tourism grant
Posted by editor (editor) on Jan 14 2010
2010 >>

Gold Coast Tourism will receive a special funding grant of $71,800 to conduct a scoping study for a new dive attraction and investigate opportunities for more walking trails, 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 Gold Coast Tourism develop and improve the region’s tourism product.

“These funds will allow Gold Coast Tourism to investigate the feasibility of developing new diving and walking facilities for the region,” Mr Lawlor said.

“The Gold Coast has many natural attractions which can be fully appreciated through walking trails. This study aims to determine which of these trails should be developed to meet visitor needs.”

Mr Lawlor said Gold Coast Tourism would also use the funding to investigate the possibility of developing an artificial reef on the Gold Coast.

“This study will focus on the type of reef that could be developed, potential dive sites, operational requirements and the potential economic value of a dive attraction,” he said.

“A dive site on the Gold Coast would add another string to the bow of water-based activities that the Gold Coast is famous for.”

“Queensland has some of the best dive sites in the world with around one million people taking up the dive or snorkel experience here each year.

“Diving or snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef has long been a ‘must do’ experience for visitors to Queensland and developing a new dive site in southern Queensland will only add to the range of diving experiences available and encourage visitors to the Gold Coast to stay longer.

“It will also attract new keen divers who may not otherwise have visited the Gold Coast.”

This special funding grant is a welcomed addition as Gold Coast Tourism strives to ensure the destination remains top of mind among holiday makers.

“The Gold Coast boasts an enviable reputation by providing a diverse range of fun filled activities that are enjoyed by visitors the world over,” confirmed Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter.

“A scoping study for a dive attraction and investigating new development opportunities for walking trails will ensure the City continues to evolve as Australia’s favourite playground.”

Mr Lawlor said the Gold Coast already had fantastic tourism product but both government and industry needed 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, 794,000 international and 3.2 million overnight domestic visitors spent time on the Gold Coast.

“Overnight visitors spent more than $4.0 billion on the Gold Coast, making tourism a key economic driver,” Mr Lawlor said.

“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 Queensland Tourism Strategy commitment to an additional $4 million in funding over four years for regional tourism organisations.

“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 9:43 AM