Regional tourism operators connect at the South East Queensland Country conference
Posted by editor (editor) on Nov 19 2009
2009 >>

Connecting tourism operators with local authorities, working with media, online marketing, and food and agriculture tourism will be key topics at the fifth annual South East Queensland Country conference to be held at Woodlands of Marburg, on Thursday 12 November.

Queensland Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said this year’s conference had attracted delegates from across south east Queensland, including Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, Southern Downs and Granite Belt, South Burnett, Greater Brisbane Country, and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

“It‘s wonderful to see this annual conference thriving and continuing to attract a large contingent of tourism industry representatives,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Delegates will hear from industry experts on key initiatives like Bendigo Tourism’s ‘Life’s a Dish’ program; Southern Cross University’s Food and Agri-tourism Business Development program; Google’s insights into the future for online travel; and how best to work with media.

“The conference aims to encourage industry networking across regional tourism organisation boundaries and identify future opportunities for South East Queensland Country as a destination.”

Mr Lawlor said South East Queensland Country’s beautiful national parks, picturesque rural areas and wineries made the region a popular domestic holiday destination.

“The number of domestic day-trip visitors to South East Queensland Country jumped by eight percent in the year ended June 2009 while international visitors increased their length of stay in the region,” he said.

Mr Lawlor said the region’s increasing popularity as a domestic and international destination was a credit to the hard work of Tourism Queensland, the regional tourism organisations and the local tourism industry.

“The 2009 conference will concentrate on the major issues affecting tourism in the region, giving local operators tools to help their businesses thrive in the current market,” he said.

“The conference is an initiative of Tourism Queensland, in partnership with the five local regional tourism organisations, and will provide attendees with a range of industry intelligence.

“Delegates will learn how to connect councils with tourism and find out more on a range of opportunities such as the future of food and agri-tourism, and the untapped potential of media and digital marketing promotions.

“Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore some of the region’s attractions.”

The conference is supported by Tourism Queensland, Channel Seven’s The Great South East, Tarong Energy, RACQ, Gold Coast Airport, Ipswich City Council, Southern Queensland Tourism, and other industry sponsors.

The conference will be hosted by Sofie Formica from Channel 7’s The Great South East on Thursday 12 November at Woodlands of Marburg.

Last changed: Nov 19 2009 at 9:30 AM