Hilltops Council’s Destination and Economy team is calling on business owners and community groups across the Hilltops region to help shape the future of local tourism. Accommodation providers, retailers, hospitality operators, arts and entertainment businesses, and community organisations are all encouraged to attend a series of free workshops being held across the region in the coming weeks.
The workshops are being held to gather community input into the development of the Hilltops Regional Tourism Plan 2035, and sessions are scheduled as follows:
• Thursday 11 June, 7:30am–9am – The Barnes Store, Murrumburrah.
• Thursday 25 June, 6pm–8pm – Ex-Services Club, Boorowa.
• Thursday 9 July, 5.30pm–7:30pm – Young Services Club, Young.
• Thursday 16 July, 9am–11am – Wombat Café, Wombat.
We want our towns and villages to have a say on their future and how we say it. Tourism plays a vital role in the economic health of the Hilltops region, sustaining hospitality and retail businesses, creating local employment, and generating revenue across our towns and villages. The region is well placed to capitalise on the growing agritourism market, with visitors increasingly seeking authentic farm-gate experiences, regional events, and rural lifestyle – all of which Hilltops delivers in abundance.
The workshops are being delivered in the context of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 (VES2035), developed by Destination NSW as the State Government’s roadmap for growing the visitor economy over the next decade. VES2035 sets ambitious targets, including $91 billion in annual visitor expenditure, 40,000 new hotel rooms, 8.5 million additional airline seats, and 150,000 new jobs by 2035. Hilltops Council is working alongside its Southern Tablelands LGA partners to align regional tourism with this framework.
The Digital Landscape
The workshops will also address the rapidly evolving digital environment, with nbn presenting on the future rollout of digital access across the region. With data usage forecast to increase tenfold, driven by the rise of artificial intelligence, understanding and adapting to these changes will be increasingly important for local businesses.
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