Southern Queensland Country heads south of the border

Southern Queensland Country tourism operators are hitting the road and heading to Victorian destinations to gain insights into some of the country’s leading tourism locations to attract more visitors to Queensland.

Minister for Tourism Jann Stuckey said ‘Southern Queensland Country on Tour’ would see nine operators visit the Daylesford and Castlemaine regions, supporting the Newman Government’s commitment to grow the Queensland tourism industry as one of the four pillars of the economy.

“‘The tour is a great way to challenge operators to think differently when it comes to implementing marketing and business practices, allowing them to seek ideas from other tourism destinations similar to their own,” Ms Stuckey said.

“The Castlemaine and Daylesford regions are areas with abundant natural surroundings, history and heritage as well as indulgent food and wine experiences. This resonates with Southern Queensland Country’s key offerings.

“Southern Queensland Country operators will meet with local tourism organisations as well as several accommodation providers, attraction operators and regional food and wine producers to gain valuable insights into how these regions operate successfully.”

Ms Stuckey said the Newman Government’s 20-year plan for tourism, Destination Success, encouraged initiatives such as ‘Southern Queensland Country on Tour’ to assist operators to develop best practice delivery of destination experiences through visitation to ‘best in class’ competitor destinations.

“Growing the variety and quality of our experiences in destinations such as Southern Queensland Country will help us achieve the industry goal of doubling annual overnight visitor expenditure from $15 billion to $30 billion by 2020,” Ms Stuckey said.

Southern Queensland Country Tourism CEO Mary-Clare Power said the tour to Daylesford coincided with the region’s Harvest Week Festival 2014.

“Events which enable visitors to experience regional flavours are a growing opportunity for Southern Queensland Country, as is encouraging tourism operators to incorporate regional produce experiences into their products,” Ms Power said.

“Our operators will also gain some insightful intelligence into how our southern counterparts present their history and heritage offerings.”

[ENDS] 29 April 2014

Media Contacts:

Minister’s Office - 3719 7240

Tourism and Events Queensland – 3535 5010