A new agreement to pave a stronger tourism future for the Southern Great Barrier Reef has been signed by leaders this week.
Bundaberg Tourism and Gladstone Area Promotion and Development Ltd (GAPDL) boards were joined by Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Helen Blackburn and Gladstone Regional Council Mayor Matt Burnett in Gladstone for the milestone signing of an agreement to form a new regional tourism entity for the two regions.
The agreement is the outcome of a detailed consultative process over the past 18 months, which formalises the shared intention to evolve a previous marketing partnership into a strategic organisation dedicated to the development of the regional visitor economy.
The SGBR comprises the southern-most section of the world-heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.
It is known for its world-leading coral cay resorts and uninhabited islands, stunning coastal towns and rich tourism experiences including reef snorkelling and turtle encounters.
Bundaberg Tourism Chief Executive Officer Katherine Reid said the partnership represented a new chapter for the Queensland region.
“We are excited to be moving into a new phase for the Southern Great Barrier Reef,” she said.
“Under this dedicated structure with more streamlined resourcing, our collective marketing efforts will achieve far greater reach and impact, creating more opportunities for expansion, sustainable growth and profitability for tourism businesses across our combined destination.
“Tourism continues to be a significant contributor to our regional economy, and the new entity will lead the tourism industry into a very bright future.
“We also look forward to sharing our collaborative marketing opportunities to continue to work proactively in partnership with our neighbouring regions, which will further add value to our industry and the Southern Great Barrier Reef brand.”
Mayor Helen Blackburn said it was a historic day.
“Bundaberg Tourism is joining forces with GAPDL to form a new tourism entity for our two regions,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“The new agreement will pave a strong tourism future for the Southern Great Barrier Reef region.”
GAPDL Chief Executive Officer Nicola Smith said the new entity would focus on growing opportunities for tourism operators across the Southern Great Barrier Reef region.
“This new regional tourism organisation model will enable a more consolidated and collaborative team approach across the Southern Great Barrier Reef region, enhancing investment in business engagement and development to benefit the tourism industry and the region as whole,” she said.
“Research shows that our marketing and development efforts to date have resulted in strong brand recognition for the SGBR and post-Covid recovery is strong.
“Our aim is to ensure this trajectory continues with a focus on attracting high value travellers that tend to stay longer and experience more on holidays.”
Tourism and Events Queensland Chief Executive Officer Patricia O’Callaghan said the renewed focus on the Southern Great Barrier Reef region would support TEQ’s efforts to generate demand and importantly drive conversion that supports the goal of growing overnight visitor expenditure to $44 billion by 2032.
“We want to inspire travellers to make Queensland their holiday destination of choice and we know that the Great Barrier Reef, tropical islands and nature, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, are key motivators,” she said.
As a result of this landmark agreement, with the signing of a transition plan and intention to form a new regional tourism organisation, the entity will move to be launched and operational mid-2025.
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