Hawkesbury’s local tourism businesses will benefit from an economic boost with the NSW Government announcing a Destination Management Plan (DMP) and three-year Action Plan aimed at driving more visitors to the Hawkesbury region.
NSW Treasurer and Member for Hawkesbury Dominic Perrottet said the DMP and Action Plan is part of the NSW Government’s $3 million election commitment announced in 2015.
“After holding several workshops with industry stakeholders and listening to their feedback, it gives me great pleasure to announce the NSW Government has released a Destination Management Plan and three-year Action Plan to help grow tourism and the Hawkesbury’s visitor economy,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Having already secured some big wins such as the 2017 World Polo Championships, True Grit and the World 24 Hour Obstacle Course Racing Championship, there’s still more work to do to put our region at the forefront of travellers’ minds.
“Over the coming months, we’ll be undertaking a product, content, media and event audit as well as developing a communications plan and destination marketing campaign to help grow awareness of our region’s tourism offerings.
“From Bilpin to Bowen Mountain, Windsor to Wiseman’s Ferry, the Hawkesbury is home to so many beautiful waterways, historically important sites and tourist attractions and today’s announcement is the first step in leveraging these assets to help boost local economies, generate jobs and drive investment in the Hawkesbury region for years to come.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said Sparrowly Group, a business and marketing consultancy, has been appointed by the NSW Government to work with Destination NSW to implement the Plans.
“Sparrowly Group will oversee the rollout of the DMP which will help the NSW Government in achieving its goal of doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020,” Mr Marshall said.
Sparrowly Group is an Australian owned integrated consultancy headed by Giovanna Lever. Sparrowly Group specialises in commercial business and marketing across tourism, aviation and hospitality including Tourism Australia, Virgin Australia and InterContinental Hotels Group.
Recently, Sparrowly Group has been involved in the development of a Place Branding and Destination strategy for a regional Western Australia city.
“We are so pleased to be working collaboratively on the implementation of the Destination Management Plan. There is so much opportunity in the Hawkesbury region to showcase to domestic and international visitors,” said Ms Lever.
“We are entering an exciting time for tourism across NSW with record numbers flying into Sydney and travelling onwards to explore many of our surrounding regions. We look forward to taking things to a new level for the Hawkesbury and working with key industry partners to capitalise on the untapped and emerging opportunities presented in the DMP.”
The DMP was developed by the Stafford Group in conjunction with the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.