Glass House’s drive tourism market is set to benefit from the recently released of the Queensland Drive Tourism Strategy.
Member for Glass House, Andrew Powell MP said the drive tourism market brought significant benefits to the community and the strategy would help re-invigorate the Queensland road trip.
‘We are competing internationally and domestically for the tourism dollar and this strategy addresses some of the real issues operators, visitors and local governments are facing,” Mr Powell said.
“With a State as big as ours and so much to see and do, driving holidays will always be a part of our tourism landscape and we need to make sure visitors can get to the areas they want in a safe and comfortable way.
“Tourism is one of the four pillars of our economy, and this is an important step forward for Glass House’s drive tourism industry and will contribute to the Newman Government’s goal to double Queensland’s annual overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.”
Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Minister Jann Stuckey said the Drive Tourism Strategy was a key outcome of the inaugural DestinationQ Forum and the Strategy’s development had sparked plenty of interest.
“We received 98 submissions from the industry and the public during the consultation phase and as a result, we have identified 29 practical initiatives that will be implemented over the next three years,” Ms Stuckey said.
Highlights of the strategy include:
improving facilities for drive tourists by providing a further two years of funding for the dump point program
ensuring the tourism industry is consulted annually to inform the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ forward infrastructure program
appointing senior ‘go–to’ officers in the Department of Transport and Main Roads who industry can talk to about road and signage matters
addressing competing use of roadside rest areas between truck drivers who need to rest to address fatigue and drive tourists
better meeting the needs of tourists visiting national parks
reducing red tape and making it simpler for tourism operators to get road signs to their business
empowering and helping Councils to better address the provision of non-commercial camping facilities
The Queensland Drive Tourism Strategy 2013-2015 can be found at: www.dtesb.qld.gov.au/tourism-industry/queensland-drive-tourism-strategy
ENDS] 23 January 2013
