Blue Mountains. $30 million upgrade

Scenic World has committed to the largest tourist attraction investment in the history of the Blue Mountains with a $30 million redevelopment of the world’s steepest incline railway. The team delivering the project, scheduled to open in December, includes Swiss specialist railway designers, Garaventa, and Australian architects, project managers and builders.

Region. Tourist staying an extra night

The state government has ambitious plans to encourage overseas tourists to stay an extra night in Sydney to taste the culinary delights of suburbs, such as, Cabramatta and Harris Park. Citizenship and Communities Minister, Victor Domenillo’s department earmarked Cabramatta, Harris Park, Haberfield and Leichhardt as examples of suburbs they want to promote to tourists their restaurants and specialised food stores. United Indian Association president, Amarinder Bajwa, is working with restaurant owners in Harris Park to make their suburb more attractive to tourists, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Blue Mountains. $250,000 grant for projects

Touch screens, iPhone apps and a loyalty rewards program are among the first local projects to be funded under a $5 million state government program to boost regional tourism, with the Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism has received $250,000 in grants through the Regional Tourism Product Development Funding.

Region. Travel agents go West

China Southern Airlines has selected a group of 20 of its best performing travel agents to participate in a familiarisation tour of Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The tour aims to increase sales to Sydney on the airlines. Tourism NSW has arranged the tour which includes the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Featherdale Wildlife Park, Scenic World, Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort and Spa, Fairmont Resort and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.

Region. Campaign to lure tourists to suburbs

Tourism Minister, Jodi McKay, announced the NSW government has partnered with Jetstar as part of a $500,000 campaign to get interstate tourists into suburbs such as Blacktown, Penrith and The Hills. While many tourists associate Sydney purely with the Harbour Bridge and the CBD, Ms McKay said it was time to draw them to overlooked spots such as Blacktown’s Featherdale Wildlife Park and Western Sydney cultural events. “The challenge is, once you have tourists here, to get them to realise that there’s more to Sydney than just the three days you spent at the Opera House and in The Rocks,” she said. “We want them to realise that there’s so much more, things like Parramatta’s historic spots, Penrith’s cultural events and natural beauty ... fascinating things we want them to see.”

Parramatta. John Lee is tourism body CEO

John Lee, who was a member of the now defunct Parramatta Tourism Advisory Board several decades ago, has been appointed CEO, of the Tourism & Transport Forum, a 160-member tourism advocacy body, following the resignation of Christopher Brown as managing director. Mr Lee is a former director general of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet and a former CEO of the State Transit Authority of NSW. Most recently he consulted to the federal government on Australia’s FIFA World Cup bid and to the Greater Western Sydney Giants AFL team.

Region. Attracting tourists out of Sydney CBD

A University of Technology Sydney study of 40 backpackers found just five went somewhere other than the CBD or Manly - to Palm Beach, Watsons Bay, Parramatta, Beverly Hills and Homebush Bay. "As an outcome of the NSW Tourism Strategy in 2008, the Government introduced measures to encourage visitors to explore beyond the CBD, including a $2.7 million investment over three years to promote local events throughout Sydney's diverse tourism precincts," said a spokesman for NSW Tourism Minister, Jodi McKay. Precincts like Chinatown, Campbelltown, Bondi and Parramatta have all received funding support in encouraging tourist out of the Sydney CBD.

Blue Mountains. Fall in tourist numbers

Tourism Research Australia figures show the number of trips to the Blue Mountains is down by almost half since 1999, when 1.1 million were recorded. Between 2008 and 2009, the number of trips, including an overnight stay, fell from 687,000 to 563,000 - an 18 per cent drop. Locals blame worsening traffic problems and the decline of the area's grandest hotels. These include the $50 million redevelopment of the Hydro Majestic, at Medlow Bath, which has been closed for two years and not scheduled to reopen until 2012, and the Fairmont Resort, at Leura, now in receivers' hands.

Blue Mountains. $30,000 for tourism project

The NSW Government has committed $30,000 to an indigenous tourism program for the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The Minister for Small Business, Peter Primrose, said the financial assistance would be matched by funds from Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Oberon Tourism. “The assistance will pay for research, as well as eventually delivering a growth strategy for indigenous tourism. The project aims to build awareness and demand for indigenous tourism through the creation of a consistent brand and a range of indigenous tourism products,” he said. The grant is part of the NSW Government’s Strategic Business Clusters Program,

The Hills. International tourists return

Over 600 Japanese, Chinese, American and French tourists visited the Hills Shire in March – a welcome indication that international tourists are returning. “It is refreshing to see these groups coming back in 2010. The international and educational groups supply the real economic boost for this region, said Nick Hermann, owner and director of Tobruk Sheep Station, the region’s largest attraction for inbound tourists. “For international tourists wanting to get a slice of real Australia, Tobruk Sheep Station is the perfect venue in the Hills area of Sydney,” said Mayor Dimbrowsky.

Region. Program to promote tourism precincts

The $2.7 million Greater Sydney Tourism Partnership Funding Program will support Greater Sydney’s tourism precincts to promote local attractions over the next three years, according to Parramatta MP, Tanya Gadiel. “The program will focus on promoting culture, heritage, shopping, dining and nightlife. The program will increase awareness of the depth and variety of experiences Sydney has to offer beyond the CBD.” Ms Gadiel said the NSW Government has also produced a Sydney Tourism Precinct Toolkit to help local councils and businesses increase awareness of their destinations. “The toolkit includes information about funding opportunities and budgeting, evaluation of tourist experiences and guidance on how to form partnerships with local businesses and larger tourism bodies,” Ms Gadiel said.

Region. NSW Tourism Awards

Gold medal winners in the 2009 NSW Tourism Awards were: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Doonside; NSW Caravan, Camping, 4WD and Holiday Supershow, Rosehill; Blue Mountains National Park, Katoomba; Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, Leura; Old Leura Dairy, Leura; and the Epping Club, Epping. Phil Hammon, owner and CEO, of Scenic World, Blue Mountains, received the Contribution by an Individual Award.

Parramatta. $500,000 cheque handed over

The Federal Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, has presented Parramatta City Council with a cheque for $500,000 for tourism development in the city. “This Federal funding is the start of a journey of tourism development in Parramatta,” said deputy Lord Mayor, Clr Lorraine Wearne, who said the funding would be used for the design and development of a series of tourism trails that connect key heritage sites across the city. “The funding will also go towards investigating the development of tourism products such as tours, events, and activities which will actively encourage visitors to extend their stay and encourage them to come back to visit Parramatta,” she said.

Region. New STEPS for tourism industry

The University of Western Sydney has set up the Sustainable Tourism Enterprise Partnerships (STEPS) pilot program to help Western Sydney tourism businesses cope with rapid population growth and other environmental pressures. It is designed to help businesses adjust to environmental challenges such as climate change and the additional 600,000 people expected to move to the North-West and South-West regions. The program, part of the Sustainable Places pilot program funded by the NSW Government Environmental Trust, is a partnership between UWS and Hawkesbury City Council.

Parramatta. Website to showcase tourism

A Parramatta City Council report notes that the city “does little to capitlaise on opportunities to promote its vast tourism potential”and will establish a dedicated website in 2008-09 to showcase its attractions and boost visitation. The site will provide a platform for local businesses and operators to reach a wider tourist audience and encourage people to experience more, stay longer and spend more.

Region. Tourism development program

The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) said consultations with most of its member councils are leading to a tourism development program around the three themes of indigenous culture, food and markets with the region’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and colonial settler heritage. As part of the marketing strategy a web-based platform is proposed involving in-kind support of over $200,000 from Tourism NSW. Other partners include Arts NSW, which is particularly keen to be involved in the development of indigenous contemporary arts.

$500,000 to boost tourism in Parramatta

The promotion of Parramatta’s heritage will get a boost thanks to funds of $500,000 allocated in the federal Budget. The funds will help fund Parramatta Stories, a series of heritage tours around Parramatta, which was the original centre for government, farming and trade in colonial NSW. The project is the first in a three-stage tourism strategy to deliver vast improvements to heritage-listed properties and link them with imaginative trails to bring alive specific themes and characters from Parramatta’s past, council said.