November 10, 2009
Tourism leaders will help finalise the Government’s three-year plan for tourism spending, industry job creation and tourism infrastructure development at a State-wide Jobs Summit later this month.
Premier Anna Bligh is encouraging leaders and operators to attend an open forum on Wednesday, November 25, to share ideas on the best way to spend tourism funding and secure the industry.
"With increasing pressure on the tourism industry, it is essential we have all hands on deck to come up with new ideas, innovative strategies and real solutions for the industry,” Bligh says.
"This month's Tourism Jobs Summit will allow us to hear directly from local tourism operators and other industry leaders, to determine the best way to spend tourism funding to secure their industry," she says.
Bligh says she is eager to work with all levels of government to ensure Queensland's vital tourism industry has the support it needs.
"While the Queensland Government has committed additional money and resources to the local tourism industry I would still like to see more federal government support," she says.
At the March election, the Queensland Government committed to investing an extra $36 million in generating employment opportunities in the tourism sector.
"Since we made this commitment, extensive consultation has taken place with national and state industry leaders to determine where we need to be directing our tourism resources and money during these very challenging times," Bligh says.
"We have already implemented a number of initiatives. We have recently launched two new campaigns to attract interstate and international visitors, and last month I announced the appointment of a Tourism Queensland representative in the Middle East to maximise sales activity for our State from the busy emerging Middle Eastern market,” she says.
"Now we want to hone in on the key initiatives for the future, by finalising our three-year Tourism Strategy with the help of industry leaders."
The location for the summit is yet to be released.