Regional Festivals: Lessons and Insights from AFIC 2025
Earlier this month, I joined festival and event leaders from across Australia (and beyond) at the Australian Festival Industry Conference in Brisbane. It was an…
Category: Blog
Local Councils and RTOs: Have Your Say on Tourism’s Social Impact
At Australian Regional Tourism (ART), we know that tourism is about more than visitor numbers and dollars spent. In regional communities, tourism contributes to wellbeing,…
What does Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment mean for regional tourism?
It’s a wake-up call to get busy. What does the report reveal? Regional and remote communities, and communities reliant on tourism and agritourism, are highly…
From the CEO’s Desk: Why This Year’s Convention Will Be Our Best Yet
By Lauren Douglass, CEO, Australian Regional Tourism I’ve been crafting the Australian Regional Tourism Convention program, alongside the team, for eight years now. Each year…
Join the ART Board – Nominations close 17 September
Australian Regional Tourism (ART) is now calling for nominations to join our Board of Directors. Serving on the ART Board is a unique opportunity to…
Strengthening Governance in Regional Tourism
The tourism sector is made up lots (too many?) committees, boards and industry bodies. In regional areas, however, access to professional governance training and programs…
Ad-ding Value – Your Guide to Google Ads
Why Google Ads? Reach for the right audience Google Ads dominate the online advertising space when it comes to targeted reach – it doesn’t simply…
From the CEO’s Desk: Strengthening Our RTO Network
The challenges we face, from workforce shortages to disaster recovery, are too complex for any single organisation to solve alone. Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) play…
The Power of Community Events: How The F.O.C.K. Paddled Tourism into Kangaroo Valley
Not quite what you think… The F.O.C.K.: Festival of Canoe and Kayak is held in Kangaroo Valley. Last weekend was awash with energy and excitement…
New E-Bike Regulation Risks Derailing Trail Tourism and Local Economies
Lori Modde, CEO of Outdoors NSW & ACT While Outdoors NSW & ACT supports the intent of safer e-bike operations and greater consumer protection, the…