Local Member for Dubbo Troy Grant this week announced that Parkes Shire Council will benefit from a share of $672,070 of NSW Government funding to drive visitors to the region.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce that Parkes Shire Council will receive $79,570 from the Regional Visitor Economy Fund (RVEF) to develop and upgrade facilities at Spicer Caravan Park,” Mr Grant said.

“The RVEF funding will contribute to the development of new cabin accommodation and upgrading the site to accommodate RVs, which will improve the products and services on offer and drive visitors to the Parkes area.”

Parkes Shire Mayor, Cr Ken Keith OAM, was delighted with the announcement which follows the recent successful launch of the Parkes Elvis Festival where accommodation is at a premium,”

“The additional facilities provided by this grant recognise the importance of tourism in regional areas and I commend the local member and the Government for their enthusiasm and commitment to our community.”

Mr Grant said each year more and more people visit Parkes during January for the Elvis Festival with tickets for the Elvis Train selling out in just 19 minutes.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Andrew Stoner said the funding is part of the NSW Government’s record $21.6 million commitment to the RVEF program over three years, to help boost local economies across regional NSW and contribute to doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.

“Regional tourism is an important and vital contributor to the state’s economy,” he said. 

“For the year ending March 2014, Regional NSW received 18.8 million overnight visitors which accounted for more than $9.8 billion in visitor expenditure to the State.

“Funding from the RVEF will assist regional tourism providers to promote their wonderful destinations to domestic and international visitors, to upgrade facilities and improve services and allow our regional visitor economy to grow,” he said.

“Applications for round two of the 2014 Contestable Fund open on September 29 and close on November 7, with more than $2.8 million available,” Mr Grant said.

“Tourism businesses and marketers interested in applying for RVEF funding may wish to register to attend the NSW FIRST Workshop Program, a series of free workshops held across the State presented by Destination NSW from September to November.

Dedicated RVEF workshops will discuss the application process, eligibility criteria and accessing the Destination Management Plan and tourism research for your region.

Further information on the Regional Visitor Economy Fund and to register for the NSW FIRST Workshop Program www.destinationnsw.com.au