The Queensland Government will pump $3.1 million into local tourism projects

The Queensland Government is set to deliver a big regional tourism boost by investing $3.1 million into 22 Queensland tourism and events projects across areas that include the Great Barrier Reef, Sunshine Coast and Outback Queensland.

The news comes as findings from Roy Morgan Research showed overseas rates highly in terms of preference but the relative ease and affordability of domestic travel has a huge influence on where we actually take our holidays.

While domestic travel cuts down the price of a family holiday, it’s still important to build up your holiday nest egg with a high interest savings account.

The multimillion dollar investment is part of the Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) Contestable Grants Funding Scheme aiming to enhance local tourism opportunities and provide a further boost for tourism and events in Queensland.

Queensland’s minister for tourism Jann Stuckey said the funding would be used as part of a strong plan for a brighter future for tourism in Queensland.

“In line with the Government’s DestinationQ strategy, successful applications include innovative proposals which focus on marketing and product development, and encourage community and industry collaboration."

Stuckey said RTOs were encouraged to leverage their own contributions towards projects with those from partners including local governments, local tourism organisations, industry and others to strengthen their proposed initiatives.

“Where grant applications have been successful, destinations’ cash contributions were eligible for matched State Government funding.”

“In addition, projects were able to receive an extra 50% for every dollar of new local government funds contributed to their successful projects.”

The Queensland Government’s goal is to double the annual overnight visitor expenditure from $15 billion to $30 billion by 2020.