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Central Coast Tourism

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Speakers - Griffin The Hon Kayee; Della Bosca The Hon John
Business - Questions Without Notice

      CENTRAL COAST TOURISM
Page: 2020

      The Hon. KAYEE GRIFFIN: My question is addressed to the Minister for the Central Coast. Will the Minister inform the House about the performance of the tourism industry on the Central Coast?
      The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: The Leader of the Opposition never asks me about the tourism industry on the Central Coast, and he is part of it.
      The Hon. Michael Gallacher: I am too busy trying to look after the Hunter in this place.
      The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: The Treasurer, and Minister for the Hunter has that covered. The Central Coast is a dynamic region, home to approximately 300,000 people and within an hour's drive of both Sydney, Australia's largest city, and Newcastle, the biggest regional city in the country. With close proximity to these two major centres a combined population of five million people have easy access to the region. The Central Coast tourism industry is supported by outstanding hospitality, accommodation and sporting facilities, making the region a popular domestic and international tourist destination.

      Domestic tourism figures for the first quarter of 2007 have just been released by the national visitor survey. I am pleased to inform the House the Central Coast tourism industry has again performed extremely well. In the domestic market, average growth across New South Wales was a very healthy 4.6 per cent. The Central Coast increase was 6.5 per cent, with almost 1.4 million visitors in the first three months of 2007. More people are discovering the great things we have to offer on the Central Coast, and our marketing promotion and investment in the region is paying off. During the same period these 1.4 million visitors spent over 4.2 million nights on the Central Coast, an increase of nearly 15 per cent on the previous year, while the State average showed an increase of almost 5 per cent. These positive results indicate people are staying longer to enjoy our fantastic beaches and attractions and to boost our local economy.

      Tourism is one of the major employment providers on the Central Coast and is estimated to provide 6,900 full-time jobs, representing 5.2 per cent of the region's employment. This does not take into account the many thousands of part-time and casual jobs provided by the hospitality and tourism industry. The Iemma Government recognises this industry as a vital component of the Central Coast economy and continues to invest in this sector. Just last week, in the 2007-08 State budget the Iemma Government announced a further investment of $55.9 million towards a continued push to bring more visitors to regions, including the Central Coast. This is a $3.4 million increase on last year and will be used to promote and support the development of the State's tourism destinations.

      Tourism New South Wales will also continue promoting the Central Coast as part of the Short Breaks campaign and through international promotional activities—including the Asian markets. In fact, the Central Coast was described as a must-see destination in a new guidebook recently launched in Hong Kong. Did the Hon. Henry Tsang have anything to do with that? The guidebook will be given to every Virgin Atlantic customer who books a flight from Hong Kong to Sydney. Tourism on the Central Coast will also benefit from Tourism New South Wales's Regional Flagship Events Program. The Iemma Government has a strong record of supporting Central Coast events. The Australian Springtime Flora Festival was awarded $10,000 funding under the 2007 program and the Central Coast Country Music Festival also received the final $20,000 instalment of a $60,000 grant under the program.

      The Hon. Duncan Gay: They don't bootscoot on the Central Coast, do they?
      The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: They do indeed. The Central Coast is the real country music capital! These two events have been major drawcards for the Central Coast, attracting thousands of domestic and international tourists every year. The New South Wales Government also contributed $308,000 to the new Gateway Information Centre for the Central Coast. To be built at Kariong, this Gateway Information Centre will be a major reference point for visitors travelling to the Central Coast.


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