JOINT STATEMENT FROM BUNDABERG TOURISM & GLADSTONE AREA PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT LTD

NEW AGREEMENT TO PAVE STRONG TOURISM FUTURE FOR SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF

In a joint statement issued today, the two Boards of Bundaberg Tourism and Gladstone Area Promotion and Development Ltd (GAPDL), announced a milestone agreement to form a new tourism entity for the two regions.

The tourism leaders were joined in Gladstone by Mayor Matt Burnett from Gladstone Regional Council, Mayor Helen Blackburn from Bundaberg Regional Council and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) Chief Executive Officer Patricia O'Callaghan as they announced the transition to the new partnership that will drive future tourism opportunities for the Southern Great Barrier Reef region (SGBR).

The agreement between the two organisations is the outcome of a detailed consultative process over the past 18 months and formalises the shared intention to evolve a previous marketing partnership into a strategic organisation dedicated to the development of the regional visitor economy.  

The SGBR comprises the southern-most section of the world-heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and is known for its world-leading coral cay resorts and uninhabited islands, stunning coastal towns, and rich tourism experiences from reef snorkelling and turtle encounters to National Park hikes and First Nations cultural tours, along with a food and drink scene that celebrates local flavours, internationally beloved brands and artisan producers.

Bundaberg Tourism Chief Executive Officer, Katherine Reid, said that the partnership represented a new chapter for the regions.

"We are excited to be moving into a new phase for the Southern Great Barrier Reef.  Under this dedicated structure with more streamlined resourcing, our collective marketing efforts will achieve far greater reach and impact, creating more opportunities for expansion, sustainable growth and greater value for tourism businesses across our combined destination.”

“Tourism continues to be a significant contributor to our regional economy, and the new entity will lead the tourism industry into a very bright future,” she said.  “We also look forward to sharing our collaborative marketing opportunities to continue to work proactively in partnership with our neighbouring regions, which will further add value to our industry and the Southern Great Barrier Reef brand.” 

GAPDL Chief Executive Officer, Nicola Smith said that the new entity will be focused on growing opportunities for tourism operators across the Southern Great Barrier Reef region.

"This new regional tourism organisation model will enable a more consolidated and collaborative team approach across the Southern Great Barrier Reef region, enhancing investment in business engagement and development to benefit the tourism industry and the region as whole," she said.

"Research shows that our marketing and development efforts to date have resulted in strong brand recognition for the SGBR and post-Covid recovery is strong - our aim is to ensure this trajectory continues with a focus on attracting high value travellers that tend to stay longer and experience more on holidays."

Tourism and Events Queensland Chief Executive Officer, Patricia O'Callaghan said that “the strength and influence of our destinations is a advantage for Queensland and the renewed focus on Southern Great Barrier Reef region will support TEQ’s efforts to generate demand, and importantly drive conversion, that supports our goal of growing overnight visitor expenditure to $44 billion by 2032."

"We want to inspire travellers to make Queensland their holiday destination of choice and we know that the Great Barrier Reef, tropical islands and nature, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, are key motivators," she said.

As a result of this landmark agreement, with the signing of a transition plan and intention to form a new regional tourism organisation, the entity will move to be launched and operational mid-2025.

Key Points:  

• The two (2) Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) in Bundaberg (Bundaberg Tourism) and Gladstone (Gladstone Area Promotion and Development Ltd) are coming together in a joint venture, to pool resources and create a purpose-built Regional Tourism Organisation to deliver for our regions.

• Both BT and GAPDL are working through the transition to the new entity over the next 6 months to launch on the 1st April 2025, with operations commencing 1st July 2025.

• Tourism industry and RTO members across the two regions will have the opportunity to join the new entity in 24/25, with the partnership prospectus to be launched in May 2025.

• Members of the new entity will have all of the existing benefits, plus some additional founding partner benefits that will be revealed with the launch mid-2025.

• Members will still have team member contacts on the ground in both Bundaberg and Gladstone regions.

• The new entity hopes to work closely with our neigbouring regions to continue to build the strength of the Southern Great Barrier Reef brand and will have a number of collaborative opportunities for buy in within the new Marketing Strategy to launch in 2025. 

• Next update on the new entity will be released by the 1st February 2025, followed by information sessions for community and the tourism industry across both regions to share more detail about the vision and future director of the new organisation.