Attracting tourists to our national parks

Bouddi National Park has much to attract tourists Photo: Justin Stanley

A new tourism campaign is aimed at attracting visitors to national parks across the state, including on the Central Coast.

The first ever joint National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Destination NSW tourism campaign has been launched, showcasing national parks, including parks in NSW.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said the campaign features some of the best “hidden gems” of regional national parks, encouraging people to holiday in NSW.

“With more than 890 diverse national parks are reserves, we know that NSW is the national parks capital of Australia,” Crouch said.

“National parks such as Bouddi National Park, Brisbane Water National Park and Wyrrabalong National Park have long been enjoyed by our community, and it’s fantastic to see them showcased in this major new campaign to the rest of Australia.

“Tourism is vital to many regional and rural economies, including ours, and our national parks are perfectly positioned to support local businesses that have endured drought, bushfires, flooding and a pandemic.”

Minister for Environment, James Griffin, said the advertising campaign showcases some of the most incredibly diverse national parks on the planet.

“Our national parks aren’t just brimming with natural wonders, they also support 74,000 jobs and contribute $18B in visitor expenditure to our economy annually, with 75 per cent of the economic benefits delivered in rural and regional NSW,” he said.

“We are so lucky to have an incredibly diverse range of landscapes right here in our backyard.”

Griffin said the new campaign will showcase the state’s parks to the rest of Australia and the world.

“Our aim is for visitors to fall in love with our spectacular regions, arriving at our national parks as tourists and leaving as conservationists,” he said.

The campaign began rolling out  across television, digital media, billboards and outdoor media in Victoria, Queensland, the ACT, Sydney and regional NSW from November 4.

Minister for Tourism, Ben Franklin, said the first major National Parks and Wildlife Service and Destination NSW campaign aligns with the NSW Government’s Feel New brand.

The NSW Government is providing 755km of new and upgraded walking and mountain-biking tracks, 61 new or improved picnic and visitor areas, and 36 campground upgrades throughout the national parks network.

It is also investing $450M for more than 200 visitor infrastructure projects across the state by 2024.

Source: Media release, Nov 14, 2022, Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch