THRIVE 2030 – Submission

The Re-Imagined Visitor Economy Submission

THRIVE 2030 is too high-level to be Australia’s next national long-term tourism strategy. The proposed strategy is lacking real insight into the visitor economy, data driven strategies or measurable targets, and is not strong enough to be put forward as a long-term tourism strategy that will address recovery and drive growth into the future.

It is accepted that the future is significantly more difficult to predict with new and emerging external factors that impact travel. Bushfires and COVID will not be the last crisis to impact the industry and so we must still be bold, plan forward, and set targets towards a shared goal. This should not stop us being flexible in our thinking and revising targets periodically. If structured correctly from the outset, with proposed industry advisory groups working collectively with government, this can be done. It’s how we build resilience.

The agreed top three priority outcomes for the regional tourism community within THRIVE 2030 include:

1. Inclusion of a regionally focussed advisory group 

2. Setting of clear, achievable and measurable targets for regional expenditure and dispersal

3. Commitment from government to align funding programs such as Building Better Regions to priority outcomes and strategies through strategic and stronger state and industry collaboration

It is essential the new long-term tourism strategy includes measurable targets and strategic outcomes for regional Australia and provides clear direction to support a strong and resilient visitor economy for the future.

To view the full ART submission click here