Australian Regional Tourism Convention

The Australian Regional Tourism Convention 2008 was a resounding success!

The results are in. Convention delegates thought the Barossa Convention was the best yet. The 2008 program included more interactive workshops and forums as a result of previous delegate feedback, but also maintained plenary sessions and best practice case studies which were a big hit.

The first case study by Alysia Brandenburg of Parks VIC looked at the traditional tourism role Parks VIC played in the development of the Great Ocean Walk. Delegates learnt how this traditional Protected Area Management body worked within a tourism industry structure and with non-traditional partners to develop their asset into a tourism product, and a fabulous tourist experience. Ross McLennan from Hidden Valley Cabins followed with a very animated presentation on the journey taken by a small tourism operator, which led to it becoming Australia’s first carbon neutral resort.

Other highlights included an inspirational talk by Contiki founder John Anderson on building an empire from very little by taking risks, believing in yourself, and trusting your employees to also achieve greatness. The Print Vs Digital Debate proved a popular session, with representatives from the print, web, television, IT & Communications, photography and advertising industries, battling it out with the pros and cons for the future of these marketing mediums in tourism. 

Thank you ...

On behalf of the organisers of the 2008 Australian Regional Tourism Convention, many thanks to you, our delegates for your participation and for making the 2008 Convention a success. This Convention relies heavily on your input and active participation in discussions and workshops to determine the way forward for regional tourism in Australia and we thank you for your ideas and input. There were a number of very fruitful discussions held throughout the Convention, often over a glass of wine, and some strong partnerships have been forged.

Many thanks to our speakers for their presentations. To view these presentations click here.

Photos from the 2008 Convention can be viewed here.

Don't forget, if you have any photos you wish to share, please email them through to donna.mcintyre@scu.edu.au and they too will be added to the website over the coming weeks. Also, if you have a story to share, or would like a case study included in the Convention handbook, please email them to donna.mcintyre@scu.edu.au.

We’d also like to thank our sponsors, Tourism Australia, the Australian Regional Tourism Network, the Australian Regional Tourism Research Centre, the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management Southern Cross University, the South Australian Tourism Commission, Barossa Tourism, Tourism Queensland, TakeAbreak, MoneyDirect, Busy Street, Paul Foley Lightmoods, Novotel Barossa, Webpub Media Solutions, Edge Custom Media, the Jacob's Creek Visitors Centre, AAA Tourism and Budget.

The location of next years event was also announced – Alice Springs in the Northern Territory will welcome us in 2009.

Visit the 2009 Convention website