The Banana Shire has cemented its place as the eastern gateway to western Queensland by joining the Outback Queensland Tourism Association, with the partnership set to increase awareness of the tourism offerings in the shire and strengthen its ‘drive’ market.
Mayor Nev Ferrier said he is excited to begin working with OQTA to showcase Banana as part of the outback Queensland experience.
“OQTA is the best of the best in drive tourism marketing and we look forward to benefiting from its extensive experience as we further develop our own itineraries,” Nev said.
“Collaborating means that we can really entrench our position as the outback’s eastern gateway. We have recently launched Banana Shire’s new tourism brand, Sandstone Wonders, which showcases our beautiful region through video, stories and drive trails. Our partnership will greatly benefit our marketing of the region.”
The shire’s administration and community services manager, Frank Smallwood, agreed, saying there has never been a more exciting time in the region for tourism.
“We are confident that Sandstone Wonders, the unique experiences the area holds and our OQTA partnership will ensure we feature prominently in the holiday plans of drive tourists across the country,” Frank said.
General manager of OQTA, Peter Homan said it was an honour to have Banana Shire join the association.
“Banana Shire is a progressive council and is very active in increasing visitation to their region,” Peter said. “Our partnership will help increase awareness of the wonderful assets that exist within the Banana region and we look forward to a long and beneficial partnership.”
Being a member of Outback Queensland Tourism Association means that the shire can participate in significant collaborative marketing campaigns with OQTA around drive itineraries and events, as well as the Outback Mates program run through visitor information centres, which encourages regional dispersal and increased length of stay in outback Queensland.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
