Toowoomba to see touring concerts

Published Monday, 09 June, 2014 at 05:25 PM

Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts
The Honourable Ian Walker

Regional touring concert audiences and performances have more than trebled in the past two years.

Arts Minister Ian Walker said the $2.6 million Playing Queensland Fund in this year’s state budget would produce even more performances for the regions this year, while growing tourism as people travel to see the concerts.

For Toowoomba, this means performances by the Opera Queensland’s La Boheme and the Queensland Ballet’s Cinderella.

“We’re achieving more in the arts across the whole of the state while not recklessly spending money we haven’t got,” Mr Walker said.

“Developing and supporting vibrant regional arts communities delivers jobs and income to people not just in the arts, but in hotels, restaurants and the associated industries that gain from regional tourism.

“We’re putting on the shows that people want to see, and they’re travelling and staying overnight to attend the performances.

“We’ve more than trebled the number of people attending regional touring concerts from 29,000 in Labor’s last year to more than 103,000 in 2013.

“We’ve also more than trebled the number of regional touring concerts from 180 in 2011 to 617 in 2013.

“That’s more than three times the number of performances and people who are seeing them in the regions.

“Tourism is one of the four economic pillars we promised to grow and a bristling arts scene state-wide, not just for the elite in southeast Queensland, is a necessary part of us helping Queensland recover.”

[ENDS] 9 June 2014

Media Contact: Monica Rostron 0409 126 332