New South Wales will set up a tourism task force to tackle some of the challenges facing tourism in the state.
The state’s new Premier, Barry O’Farrell, outlined plans to delegates over lunch at the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) in Sydney.
The Task Force will have a broad mandate. One of its priorities, O’Farrell said, will be to address “cruise shipping issues particularly the need for traditional cruise berthing facilities east of the Harbour Bridge”.
Cruise operators have been pressing for this, especially after the planning minister in the former NSW government, Tony Kelly, approved a controversial AUD57 million cruise ship passenger terminal to be built at White Bay, in Sydney’s inner west. Cruise ship operators have criticised the location of the site – partly because the largest of their ships will be unable to fit under the Harbour Bridge to dock there. They want facilities to the east of the bridge, and that’s what O’Farrell was referring to.
Local residents are also worried about the extra pressure that thousands of cruise ship passengers will place on the already congested roads in the area. Some cruise operators prefer a site like Darling Harbour or Barangaroo for a new cruise terminal, Although that site is also west of the bridge, it’s much more convenient for cruise passengers.
O’Farrell said the NSW task force would also consider additional airline routes and services and would establish destination development strategies for top NSW destinations such as Sydney and the Hunter and the Blue Mountains.
“A new tourism body is to be created called Destination New South Wales to deliver the vision of the task force,” the Premier declared. “It will bring together the expertise of Tourism New South Wales and Events New South Wales so that we have one body marketing this state. Destination New South Wales will be given an additional AUD40 million to promote the NSW tourism profile and will be expected to work closely with all industry partners to promote and market tourism and events.
“I announced in the election campaign that we were keen to bid for the 2015 World Bank IMF Convention because that would bring something like 10,000 of the world’s finance boffins to this city.
In opposition we undertook a scoping study for a new Exhibition and Convention Centre for Sydney on the site of the existing Entertainment Centre – and we are determined to deliver that project in time for the World Bank IMF conference, should we be successful [in securing it].
“We can’t afford to continue to lose the value of a Rugby World Cup for this city every year because we don’t have sufficient convention and exhibition facilities. We are determined to ensure we double tourism funding for regional tourism operators.
“We want to see the NSW Tourism industry grown significantly and we are committed to doubling visitor numbers by 2020.”
O’Farrell added that one of the small changes he was “determined to try to deliver to events like this” was that when people sat down to have a drink, “it is hopefully New South Wales wine”. Delegates met this with approval. Only tea, fruit juice and water were served with lunch.
(Source: eGlobaltravelmedia.com.au, Peter Needham, 5th April 2011)
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