As we head into Easter, many of you are feeling increasing pressure across the industry.
Recent insights from the NSW Tourism Association reflect what we are hearing from tourism operators. Bookings are softer, lead times are shorter, and visitors are thinking more carefully about how and when they travel. This is being driven by factors largely outside our control, particularly fuel costs and broader cost-of-living pressures.
At the same time, it is important to keep things in perspective. There is no shortage of negative news at the moment, and it can be easy to absorb more of it than is helpful. Looking after your own wellbeing, and being mindful of your ‘news diet’, is just as important as looking after your business.
What we can control still matters.
Telling a positive story about your business and your region, delivering a great experience for every guest, and supporting your team and community are all things that remain firmly within your influence. These are the foundations that build trust and keep visitors coming back.
This may also be a good time to redefine what success looks like. Many businesses started the year focused on growth. Right now, success may look different. It could be ensuring every visitor leaves with a great experience, refining your offering to better align with current market expectations around value, or finding new ways to deliver your product while managing costs.
Small, considered adjustments can make a real difference.
Destination Southern will continue to work alongside Destination NSW and our industry partners to support operators through this period. We encourage you to access the guidance available through the NSW First Program, including the newly developed Quick Tips for Managing Unexpected Change resource, which provides practical steps to help you respond and adapt in changing conditions.
Please keep in mind that you can reach out to our team via your Industry Development Manager if you need support:
Jenny Robb – Industry Development Manager | South Coast and Snowies | Jenny.Robb@dsnsw.com.au
Thank you for everything you continue to do. The resilience, adaptability and quiet determination across our industry is what underpins the strength of the visitor economy in Southern NSW.
We remain confident in the strength of our region and the experiences you deliver.
Richard Everson
General Manager
Strategy | Advocacy | Capacity | Capability
Destination Southern - delivering the foundations of a strong visitor economy
Read on to discover insights and resources, including:
Destination Southern on the ground
New regional product and event highlights
Industry data, resources and insights
Southern Yarns in the Hilltops
Regional Event Fund & grant writing support
Training, funding and award opportunities
Who is Destination Southern?
Destination Southern is one of seven Destination Networks funded by the NSW Government to strengthen the visitor economy across Southern NSW. Guided by our Board and small regionally-based team, we focus on four key activities that deliver local and regional impact:
Whilst we provide strategy, advocacy and coordination, and build industry capacity and capability to support long-term visitor economy growth, consumer marketing is delivered by councils and Destination NSW.
On the Ground
Advocacy and Coordination in Action
(Left-right) Destination Southern team out and about at the Destination Australia conference, 24 Economy stakeholder event and Cabargo operator catch-up.
Destination Southern has been actively on the ground across the region and beyond, engaging with industry leaders and local operators to strengthen the visitor economy.
In Batemans Bay, the team joined stakeholders at Oyster Cove Cocktail Bar to connect with 24-Hour Economy NSW Commissioner Michael Rodrigues and explore opportunities to strengthen vibrant, activated precincts and support a more diverse and resilient regional economy. Discussions focused on unlocking the potential of local night-time experiences, enhancing place-based visitation, and creating compelling reasons for visitors and locals to engage beyond traditional hours.
On the Far South Coast, Industry Development Manager Jenny Robb connected with operators at the newly opened Cobargo Bank Cafe, bringing together local businesses, event organisers and community representatives to share insights and strengthen collaboration. The visit included a tour of the Cobargo Resilience Centre, highlighting the town’s ongoing recovery and resilience following the 2019 fires.
Further afield, the Destination Southern team spent a few days in Melbourne to attend Tourism Australia’s RTO Forum and Destination Australia conference.
At the RTO Forum, Richard joined the Australian Regional Tourism CEO, Lauren Douglas and Dana Ronan from Nourish Group to present a keynote about DS’s Social Impact Reporting project, showcasing tourism’s contribution to community and economic outcomes.
The focus of the Destination Australia conference was on accelerating sustainable growth and global competitiveness, with key insights on aviation, distribution, AI-driven travel discovery and the shift towards experience-led marketing. Discussions reinforced the importance of influencing the travel planning phase and targeting high-growth international markets.
Regional Highlights
Operator Development Across Southern NSW
Headland Theatre Tathra, featuring Daniel Champagne | Credit: David Rogers Photography
Headland Theatre | Tathra
The new Headland Theatre at the Tathra Hotel is set to strengthen Tathra’s cultural and visitor offering, providing a flexible performance space that supports year-round events and visitation. Designed as an adaptable black box venue, it can host live music, theatre, film and business events, attracting touring artists and creating new opportunities for collaboration across the arts, tourism and hospitality sectors.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the decade-long investment to get the theatre up and running. What an amazing achievement!
Showcasing the Snowy Monaro Region
Receiving its World Premiere at Melbourne International Film Festival, Alphabet Lane was filmed in our very own Snowy Monaro region. Deemed a must-see indie breakout, the film follows an isolated couple who lose control of a joke about imaginary friends. Quoted as quietly unhinged and oddly romantic, it is an inventive exploration of isolation, creativity and the mysteries of love. In cinemas 23 April.
Great Southern Nights - South Coast
Lynch's Narooma and Bermagui Beach House will participate in Great Southern Nights on 9th May. The initiative, delivered by Destination NSW in partnership with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), brings live music to venues across the state.
Would you like to share your new product, experience or event? Contact your Industry Development Manager to learn more.
Industry Insights
Sector Trends, Insights & Business Implications
Record-breaking visitor expenditure
Visitor expenditure in NSW has surged past $60 billion, following a record-breaking year for international tourism. The latest data shows international visitor expenditure rose by 25.1 per cent to a record $15 billion in the year ending December 2025, while domestic visitor expenditure reached $45.4 billion (up 3.5 per cent year-on-year).
Green is Our Gold
Green is Our Gold, launched by Tourism Australia, invites operators to adopt the shared vision of protecting the environments, cultures and communities that make Australia so special. The initiative provides access to a practical toolkit to help communicate five simple sustainability principles to visitors. The campaign is complemented by the newly released Sustainability Framework.
Tourism Businesses in Australia
Tourism Research Australia (TRA) has released its annual report on tourism businesses in Australia, detailing the number and characteristics of tourism-related businesses and trends observed over the past 5 years.
Monitor petrol prices
Keep up to date with fuel prices via the following resources:
NSW small businesses are being invited to help shape a new Small Business Advisory Service through a 90-day review led by Mark Bouris AM. Supported by the Service NSW Business Bureau, the review will gather feedback on how support is delivered, key business challenges and priority areas for assistance, with findings to be presented to the NSW Government in May 2026.
Business Bureau App
The Service NSW Business Bureau App is designed to help manage your business. Users can receive real-time notifications, redeem vouchers, view payment summaries and connect with the Business Bureau team for free, personalised support.
Toolkit for Easter Travel
Transport for NSW has released key messages and content for businesses to share via their channels.
The NSW Government has released an update on fuel supplies, noting that fuel in NSW remains secure. The NSW Government is monitoring fuel distribution closely and working with industry and the Commonwealth Government to manage localised shortages and plan for all possible scenarios. Read the update to discover what you can do to help reduce pressure on fuel supplies.
National data provides context, noting that local conditions may vary across subregions.
Upskill & Connect
Strengthening Operator Capability
Southern Yarns | Hilltops
Destination Southern invites local operators to join the Board and team for a relaxed, practical evening of connection and conversation at our next Southern Yarns event. The free drop-in session will include updates on what’s happening across the region, the opportunity to ask questions and space to share on-the-ground insights, challenges and opportunities with peers.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a colleague or industry contact, with registrations open right up until the event.
Destination Southern hosted a grant writing information session to assist tourism operators in presenting projects with clarity and confidence. The webinar provided an overview of the current opportunity, the Regional Event Fund (REF), including key eligibility considerations and an opportunity to ask questions. It also covered how to structure a strong submission and practical approaches to financials, risk, marketing and supporting documentation, including letters of support.
Access REF resources and watch the session recording here
Certificate II in Hospitality
TAFE NSW Moruya campus will offer a Certificate II in Hospitality starting on the 20th April. The full-time course includes in-person sessions three mornings a week, designed to strengthen local skills and support workforce needs within the hospitality industry.
The Regional Event Fund (REF) provides grants to help new, emerging and established events attract visitors, grow overnight stays and contribute to the regional visitor economy. Eligible events must be held between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.
Applications close 11:59pm (AEST) Sunday 12 April 2026 for the Incubator and Flagship streams.
The Queanbeyan-Palerang Business Awards celebrate innovation, resilience and achievements of businesses across the region. Designed to be accessible for all businesses, you do not need a marketing team or extensive resources to enter, just a willingness to share your story and achievements.
Applications close Sunday 5 April 2026 | More here
Gourmet Traveller Hotel and Travel Awards
The Gourmet Traveller Hotel and Travel Awards, judged by a panel of luxury travel experts, spotlight the best hotel and travel experiences in the country.
Applications close Friday 24 April 2026 | More here
Australian Export Awards
Australian Export Awards, opening on the 14th April, provides strong recognition and exposure for exporters, helping to unlock new markets and partnerships. Finalists benefit from national promotion and expert feedback to strengthen future export strategies.
Applications close Friday 12 June 2026 | More here
Tourism Awards
Strengthening your foundations
Nominations for the NSW and Canberra Region tourism awards will open in the coming months. Now is the ideal time to prepare the business foundations that underpin a strong submission.
Both the NSW Tourism Awards and Canberra Region Tourism Awards assess far more than a written response. Judges look at business standards, digital presence, consumer reviews, workforce practices, risk management and operational systems.
Before entries open, consider whether you have:
A current business and marketing plan
Clear evidence of performance and growth
Documented HR policies and staff development processes
A current risk management framework
Defined environmental and sustainability practices
At least 25 online reviews
An accessible, up to date website and active digital presence
Preparing this material now will strengthen both your award entry and your overall business capability.
Destination Southern is available to provide one-on-one guidance as you prepare.
Contact your Industry Development Manager to discuss support options:
Destination Southern NSW acknowledges the many Aboriginal Nations and Aboriginal People of the Southern NSW region as the traditional carers and custodians of the land that we all now live and work on. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging. Destination Southern NSW values the diversity of this region and works in partnership with local Aboriginal communities to respectfully celebrate and share Aboriginal culture with visitors to the region and also with locals who live here.
Destination Southern NSW Ltd is supported by the NSW Government and Destination NSW
Destination Southern NSW, PO Box 1025, Goulburn, NSW 2580, Australia
