Regional arts and entertainment organisations will receive an injection of over $7 million to attract tourists to Australian regions and speed up economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19 as part of the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Tourism package.
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP said the $7.4 million will build on support for the regions in the Creative Economy COVID Support Package, which now stands at more than $440 million. “Arts and cultural events, festivals, museums and galleries all play a significant role in attracting people to our regions, which is exactly what Australian communities need as they begin to rebuild from the devastating impacts of the pandemic,” Minister Fletcher said.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Dan Tehan MP said “The best thing we can do for regional tourism is to get Australians back taking holidays and spending in regional communities. Attending a festival or cultural event is the main reason for visiting a regional area for 57 per cent of first-time visitors, and arts tourists travel further, stay longer and spend more money than the average domestic tourist.”
The Regional Arts Tourism package includes:
- Regional arts activities for tourists – an additional $5 million in competitive grant funding through the Regional Arts Fund for artists, arts workers and arts organisations to develop and promote cultural events for tourists across regional Australia.
- Festivals – an additional $2.4 million through the Festivals Australia program to grow audiences at festivals across regional Australia.
- Community arts – $3 million for the Culture, Heritage and Arts Regional Tourism program, supporting community arts and cultural organisations to rebuild after the pandemic.
- Tourism Australia will support the Regional Arts Tourism package, promoting creative and cultural experiences in regions that have been hard-hit by the pandemic, with a focus on attracting interstate audiences.