Regional tourism is a vital sector of the Australian economy and key to the sustainability and vibrancy of many of our communities. Nearly half of the nation’s tourism expenditure occurs in regional Australia, equating to more than $18.8 billion in revenue. As well, tourism employs more Australians than mining and more than forestry, agriculture and fishing combined.
The people who make up this industry are dedicated, passionate and world class visionaries. The ARTN is the peak body that represents these regional tourism practitioners and acts as a hub for collaboration, cooperation, ideas generation, knowledge sharing, networking and so much more. The ARTN, on behalf of its members, advocates the fostering of sustainable regional development and amplifies key messages to government, other industries and industry sectors, researchers, educators and the public.
Our Priorities
Each year, the ARTN consults closely with its members to identify key areas of priority. In 2010-2011, our Top 5 Priorities are;
- Advance tourism as a priority for government
- Ensure appropriate funding for regional tourism management and marketing
- Develop stronger support for regional tourism product and experience development
- Generate a process to gather and share research based knowledge
- Create an environment where product innovation, development and maintenance can flourish
Our Achievements
The ARTN continues to achieve significant gains for its members and for regional tourism as a whole. To date, the ARTN’s achievements include;
- Successful production of 10 annual Australian Regional Tourism Conventions (considered the premier annual event for regional tourism practitioners)
- Provision of support and advice to member organisations in times of crisis (floods, fires, dust storms, oil spills, economic crises and industry upheavals)
- Attainment of membership to the prestigious National Tourism Alliance (a round table of tourism industry leaders and a ministerial ‘go to’ group)
- Surpassing circulation to 2,000 industry contacts of the ‘Tourism Know It All’ (ARTN’s quarterly e-newsletter developed in collaboration with Tourism Research Australia)
- Development of a world class website with relevant and user friendly tools for members and great information for browsers
As ever, the Board and Staff of the ARTN are working to achieve even better outcomes for members and for regional tourism as a whole.
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