Member for Hawkesbury Dominic Perrottet has announced a new high-profile marketing program, called The River’s Just the Beginning aimed at boosting tourism in the region.
The campaign, funded by Destination NSW, will feature on television, outdoor billboards, on social media and in targeted print products across coming months.
Mr Perrottet said the campaign would continue to grow the number of visitors to the Hawkesbury region and was timed to coincide with the busy summer period.
“The campaign will showcase the rich and diverse range of experiences on offer in the Hawkesbury,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Many visitors are day trippers and we want to encourage them to extend their stay overnight so they can take part in the adventure, dining, culture and fun to be found.
“When people stay overnight it benefits accommodation providers, local attractions, shops and restaurants. This boosts businesses and helps the community at large.”
In the year ending March 2018 there were 967,000 visitors to the Hawkesbury and they spent $123.2 million. In total they stayed 659,000 nights in local accommodation.
The potential for growth is illustrated by the adjacent Blue Mountains region which boasted 4.1 million visitors during the same period and reaped $693 million dollars.
Stunning videos and imagery of the region will showcase three key themes in the campaign:
- Nature – approximately 65 percent of the region is national park and crown reserve;
- Harvest – the area is a regional food bowl with a range of farm gate and vineyards;
- Heritage – highlight the area’s rich colonial and indigenous history and culture.
The new campaign has been formulated after extensive stakeholder consultation with the Hawkesbury Visitor Economy Advisory Committee (HVEAC).
“This is the biggest tourism campaign focused on the Hawkesbury for many years and I am delighted to have been able to play a part in getting it to this stage,” Mr Perrottet said.
“I hope this will push the annual visitors numbers well beyond a million mark and bring real and lasting benefits to the local business community.”
https://www.sydney.com/hawkesbury