Destinations, Indigenous tourism Cristy Houghton Destinations, Indigenous tourism Cristy Houghton

The importance of Indigenous experiences for regional tourism

Regional Australia is rich in Indigenous culture. People travel from across the world to see prehistoric paintings in a cave in France, which we also have here in Australia, together with the living cultural descendents!

If we can get it right, there is an opportunity for regional destinations to create rich, authentic, engaging experiences for visitors.

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Destinations, Operators Cristy Houghton Destinations, Operators Cristy Houghton

Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit

Our Event Guru, Claire:
I was very excited to be attending the summit and had very high expectations of the conference due to the notable calibre of presenters. Sadly, the summit was not as I expected and I felt a bit disappointed at the lack of inspiration and education provided. Maybe that was my overly high expectations letting me down, but I can honestly say that I have received more valuable insights from locally run workshops and conferences in the Toowoomba region than I did at this big-named summit.

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Destinations Cristy Houghton Destinations Cristy Houghton

Destination doubles business levy with grant

Team Tilma are excited to be managing a project that will fast-track the growth and development of Deniliquin as a vibrant regional destination.

Often small regional destinations don't have the big bucks for tourism promotion. We commend Edward River Council for pushing ahead with a levy on commercial businesses in Deniliquin to increase their available funds so they could apply for matched funding from Destination NSW. This has given Council a budget of $240,000 for tourism promotion! This was a smart, strategic way for Visit Deni to create an exciting campaign.

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Destinations Cristy Houghton Destinations Cristy Houghton

Australian Regional Tourism Convention

How was it to be an intern at the Australian Regional Tourism Network's annual convention? Dozens of the top guys in tourism in one place and I got to schmooze and ask lots of questions (Anyone who meets me, remembers this quality about me; I'm very curious).

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Destinations Cristy Houghton Destinations Cristy Houghton

Australian Regional Tourism Network Convention Highlights

The ARTN Convention in Roma was an amazing week of inspiring stories, statistics and ideas with the who's who of the Australian tourism industry, connecting tourism operators, industry associations and government to discuss the future of regional tourism in Australia, looking ahead to 2030. The future is looking bright, guys!

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Destinations, Agritourism Cristy Houghton Destinations, Agritourism Cristy Houghton

Agritourism game-changer Coolamon Cheese

Coolamon Shire is a rich agricultural and pastoral district, located in the Riverina region of NSW. In recent years, Coolamon Shire has focused on developing and marketing festivals and events as key drivers of visitation. Rural Australian agricultural and tourism businesses are working together to embrace agri-tourism and capitalize on its benefits. Coolamon Cheese is an example of this, with nineteen artisan cheeses crafted from local Riverina milk in a historic 1920s co-op building.

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Destinations Cristy Houghton Destinations Cristy Houghton

Online destination marketing tips for regional tourism

Ever felt like you’re stuck out in the sea when you’re in fact miles inland?  Event and destination marketing for regional Australian business means trying to stay afloat in a sea of aggressive competitors, all offering amazing experiences to your potential customers.  How do you compete online when gigantic pay-by-the-month directories dominate search results?  

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