HOW to draw more tourists to regional areas was the hot topic of discussion at the 2014 Australian Regional Tourism Convention (ARTC) held in Port Stephens this week.
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The premier tourism event, landed by Destination Port Stephens, draws hundreds of industry leaders from across Australia.
This year's conference was held at the Ramada Resort in Shoal Bay, from Monday to Thursday, October 20 to 23. Social events were at Vues on the Bay and Ocean View Restaurant in Fingal Bay.
Nature and indigenous tourism, improving customer service, regional branding, refreshing tourism attractions and the growing importance of digital marketing were also discussed during the four-day event.
The ARTC event followed a visit earlier in the week by a group made up with event managers from associations, conference and incentive companies and tertiary institutions from NSW, Queensland and the ACT.
The group toured Newcastle, Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley between October 16 and 18 as part of a major campaign by Altogether Perfect to showcase the three areas as the leading business event destination in NSW.
Altogether Perfect spokeswoman Rebecca Morley said the itinerary was developed to showcase the region's city, coast and country appeal.
"This annual familiarisation tour is one of Altogether Perfect's most important events and it's also one of the most effective ways we have of showing the high-yield events industry what Newcastle, Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley have to offer to business organisers and delegates," Ms Morley said.
"By experiencing unique activities in individual destinations within such close proximity to each other, guests on this tour can see for themselves why our combined regions are altogether perfect for major events."
