There is a new guide of specific simple actions rural and regional communities can take to gain more benefits from tourism. 

What does a roomful of rural tourism experts talk about?
We found out when we attended a Rural Tourism Forum recently...

...and we found out their advice for rural tourism destinations

Sometimes an awful lot of money is wasted in regional tourism.

Here are some examples of the kinds of waste we see, and a couple of ideas on the benefits of critically considering choices and seeking out more options.

Picture this: you've just walked up a good size peak through beautiful bushland and granite boulder country, you've taken the requisite selfie with the world-renowned view from the top, you've tripped down 900 steps (glad you asked advice on which direction around the walking track loop you should go!), and you're lying on pure soft white sand, gazing at the turquoise bay before you... Now, what's going through your mind?

We won! Woohoo!

Couldn't make it to DestinationQ last week? Catch up here.

Made it? Add your takeaways!

Five states held their tourism awards nights over the weekend! Find out the winners and Hall of Fame Inductees here.

Tourism Investment in Regional Australia dishes the dirt on what’s happening in regional tourism, and that is that tourism into regional areas is growing! - 4.1% each year during the last five years on average. With good reason, as many iconic attractions and bucket-list spots are in regional areas. Read on to find out who's coming into regional Australia and why.

As a way for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games to meaningfully include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, they has done something no other major sporting event in the world has done: develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to leave a lasting and meaningful legacy for Indigenous Australians beyond the traditional inclusion of culture in Opening Ceremonies.

Tourism and Events Queensland is doing something incredibly smart that every Queensland tourism operator and event needs to jump right on board with – now. Do not miss this boat!

TEQ has created a way to identify Queensland’s best tourism experiences based on consumer reviews. 

To be included, your business must be listed on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) by 13 November and fulfil a few other requirements. Read on...

Events and tourism destinations may have different objectives, but the No.1 goal should be for them to work together to create LOYAL event and destination ADVOCATES.
Read on about Linda Tillman's presentation on the special relationship between tourism and events at the Australian Event Symposium.

In the middle of working with Tenterfield community on branding, farmer collaboration and creating a new flagship festival, Linda and Kushla volunteered to judge the business awards. Our adventures...(with the world's best doughnuts) 

The 2017 Event Award and Symposium was all about Events, Technology and the Art of the Unexpected, and boy was it all unexpected! Our top takeaways for anyone who couldn't make it...

Gen Z are the next big influencers of travel. What are they seeking?

Tenterfield is like a cross between Brigadoon and Bonnydoon – it has the mystical feeling of a town that appears only once every 100 years and it’s a place of serenity where you feel at home even when you’re on holiday. How did they decide how they could activate their community and support their Main St businesses?

Tips about how to write and plan content and who for, insights into social media platforms and trends, SEO, how to write blogs, and leveraging partnerships.
A ton of useful info packed into one blog - we didn't want to break it up because it's all from a digital marketing workshop provided by our regional tourism organisation for free!

Storytelling is an inexpensive way to innovate, connect with customers, and differentiate your business from your competitors. Here are tips about how to create stories, and to create and edit videos on your phone to share on your social media.

Having fun, being vulnerable, sharing our stories, getting emotional - tips on connection from our regional tourism industry conference. 

Tips about digital content creation from our local tourism industry conference

Tilma Group’s Linda, Claire and Kushla joined Start Up Weekend Tourism & Events Toowoomba run by Start Up Toowoomba to support local entrepreneurs to develop viable business plans in just 48 hours! Read about our adventures (and who won!)...