The $13.9 billion New South Wales tourism industry now has access to the latest regional market intelligence with the release of the Regional Tourism Profiles 2009/10.
The profiles have been developed as a tool for business in 81 regions throughout Australia to give local tourism businesses the information they need to drive investment and tourism development in their communities.
Minister Assisting on Tourism, Senator Nick Sherry, encouraged tourism businesses and investors to use the profiles as the first stop for information when planning future investments and marketing initiatives.
“Local tourism businesses and investors now have region-specific information on growing tourism market segments and consumer insights into why people travel to New South Wales.
“The Australian Government developed the profiles after the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy and Jackson Report identified the need for more accurate regional data to assist both government and the private sector with future planning,” Senator Sherry said.
The profiles provide detailed tourism data on the 14 tourism regions in NSW including the number of arrivals, tourism’s contribution to local economies, consumer profiles and a breakdown of reasons for travel.
“Information in the profiles will assist tourism businesses get a better idea about where visitors are coming from and what they are doing when they visit the state,” Senator Sherry said.
“People who visit New South Wales for work, major events, study or leisure are important to the state economy – collectively they spent $23.5 billion in 2009/10, up from $22.7 billion in 2008/09.
“NSW business can use the data in the profiles to better target their investments, spending money where they are more confident of getting the best return.”
Senator Sherry said that the data would be an important resource to help tourism businesses to direct their investments and recovery efforts after recent floods in the north of the state.
“In the wake of the floods, the Australian and NSW Governments partnered to provide emergency grants of up to $15,000 and loans of up to $130,000 to help the many affected businesses get back on their feet.”
“Although the clean up continues in many of these affected regions, it is important for potential visitors to realise that these areas are still open for business,” Senator Sherry said.
The profiles incorporate data from Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey and International Visitor Survey as well as data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The NSW Regional Tourism Profiles 2009/10 can be downloaded at www.ret.gov.au/tra
