Smart Precinct NQ’s Post

Can your business help Queensland be Australia’s first destination of choice for domestic and global visitors seeking the world’s best experiences? Now's your chance 😎 📢 We are calling Queensland startups, scale-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who can offer innovative solutions to our upcoming Tourism Challenge 👏 In partnership with with the Department of Tourism and Sport, Advance Queensland is offering up to $200,000 ($100,000 per solution) to small-to-medium enterprises to provide innovative solutions to 👇 ☀ Support tourism operators through enhancing visitor experiences or, ☀ Improve tourism-based workforce capabilities so that they can provide and deliver sustainable quality services and customer experiences. The goal? Queensland currently has the second largest tourism industry in Australia and we’re working hard to get us to the number one spot by 2032 🏖 Through reimagined and reinvented offerings for the benefit of our visitors, our communities and the environment, Queensland aims to raise its global profile as the ultimate visitor destination 🙌 This challenge launches next week, keep an eye on our socials for more information and how to apply 🙋♀️👀 Learn more about our Private Sector Pathways Programs 👉 https://lnkd.in/gM3Y2vPk Photo Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

📢 Meet the Partners: Heraklion 🏝 Location: Heraklion, Greece 👫 Population: 211,370 Heraklion, the city grapples with multi-level governance challenges related to tourism. Despite national and regional promotion of Crete as a tourism destination due to the island's economic dependence on this sector, the reality in Heraklion is that the city serves as the main entry point with the local airport and port experiencing significant traffic. Recognizing the need for change, digital nomad visas were identified as an opportunity to shift Heraklion's tourism model. However, regional authorities initiated a marketing campaign in 2020 promoting Crete as a destination for digital nomads, leading to an unexpectedly busy 2022 season. Despite this success, Heraklion remains committed to environmental goals, signing the Covenant of Mayors Planning for Energy and Planning to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030. Consequently, strategic actions are now crucial to support Heraklion in becoming a digital nomad destination while addressing challenges in the housing market. Municipality of Heraklion URBACT

Grant opportunity: Private Sector Pathways Program – Tourism Open now; Closes 19/04/24; up to $100,000; Qld This program supports innovative small-to-medium enterprises based in Queensland to collaborate with corporate partners to develop commercialisation opportunities. They’re looking for innovative solutions to challenges presented by corporate partners. The program aims to increase partnerships between small-to-medium enterprises and corporate businesses/large organisations, improving business solutions and business collaboration. Small-to-medium businesses can receive funding from Advance Queensland and a corporate partner for solutions to be trialled for up to 6 months. Two new challenges for the tourism industry are now live: Innovative wonderment to support tourism operators to enhance visitor experiences at any stage/s of the travel consumer journey Unlock workforce capabilities for Queensland’s Tourism sector Eligibility: -Queensland registered ABN and be registered for GST. -Be an established Queensland-based startup or small to medium enterprise with full time equivalent employee count below 200. -Applicants must have a product, which is at, or beyond, minimum viable product – being developed in Queensland. If you'd like grant writing tips, I publish these each week in my '3-2-1 Grants eNews' which is shared here on LinkedIn. Head to my profile to read them and subscribe. In addition to the eNews, I have other free resources and a range of paid services to help you to be successful with grants. #pruesgold #grants #grantwriting

🎉 We are excited to announce the successful completion of the "Development of the Lower Prut Meadow Destination Promotion Platform, including the sale of tourist services and products" project under the Digital Impact Program: Focus on Cahul. This initiative marked a significant step in promoting the Lower Prut Meadow region as a top tourist destination and enhancing its digital presence. Visit the project website: https://bit.ly/3Rfv67s Key Achievements: 1. Successfully developed and launched an online platform centralizing information about the Lower Prut Meadow. It includes an interactive map, detailed tourist attraction listings, and an integrated booking system for local services and accommodations. 2. Strengthened collaboration among local businesses, tourism operators, and community leaders, ensuring the platform accurately reflects the region's rich cultural and natural heritage. 3. Enhanced tourist experience by providing easy access to information and services, allowing visitors to efficiently plan trips, discover hidden treasures, and engage meaningfully with the local community. 4. Conducted training sessions for local stakeholders on using and leveraging the digital platform, ensuring the project's sustainability and supporting local businesses in the digital era. This project aims not only to boost tourism in the Lower Prut Meadow area but also to contribute to the overall economic development of the region. By attracting more visitors and facilitating better service delivery, the project creates new opportunities for local businesses and fosters community pride. We extend our sincere gratitude to all partners, stakeholders, and community members who contributed to the project's success. Special thanks to the European Union and Sweden for their financial support through the EU4Moldova: Startup City Cahul initiative and to the National Association of ICT Companies ATIC for their joint efforts in project implementation. Although this project has officially ended, its impact will continue to be felt in the community. We are excited to see how the platform will evolve and continue to support tourism growth in the Lower Prut Meadow region.

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to revamp 44 state-run guest houses in GB under the "Green Tourism" project. This initiative aims to boost the tourism sector in the region, creating new job opportunities and increasing revenue. Under the agreement, Green Tourism Company will invest an initial amount of Rs. 3 billion to modernise the guest houses, which have been a burden on the national exchequer for years, providing no benefits to the public. The renovated guest houses will not only improve the tourism sector but also generate employment opportunities for the locals. The company will use 20% of its annual profits for the promotion of tourism in GB, while 35% of the annual revenue will go to the GB government for the development of the province. This revolutionary step is expected to increase the influx of tourists in the region, showcasing GB's natural beauty and cultural heritage to the world.

In the last couple of years, tourism has become an important sector that has had a great impact on the development of country economies. The main benefits of tourism are income creation and generation of jobs. For many places, tourism is the most important source of welfare. So it is convenient for countries to respond to this importance proportionally, by developing the necessary infrastructure and increasing their abilities to supply the needs of tourists. That’s where the importance of studying tourism lies as well. You have a high level of demand for experienced people, accompanied by a super-attractive field. Tourism and hospitality have become major global industries that provide numerous economic and social benefits. They can help correct trade imbalances, spread wealth between nations, support development, create jobs, foster cultural exchange, and promote education and peace.#hospitalitymanagement#swayam

Last week, we released Higher Ground: a Tourism Sector Strategy. Higher Ground is Alberta's strategy to more than double the size of our visitor economy from its current $10 billion per year in visitor expenditures to $25 billion by 2035. The fully integrated approach will build upon the iconic success of our province's legacy destinations and the natural beauty of our landscapes to attract private capital into the development of new and enhanced tourism products; diversify into and throughout rural Alberta; increase air and ground access to and within the province; and ramp up international marketing efforts, all while mitigating immediate and systemic labour shortages that have hindered growth for too long. The projected cumulative economic impact? $203 billion in visitor expenditures and $159 billion in GDP. I worked on the development of this Strategy over the past few years as MLA and PS of Tourism, and finally helped get it across the finish line last week in my new capacity. Special thanks to Minister Joseph Schow for the shout out at the press conference. Tourism is poised and ready to play a leading role in Alberta's economic future, and Higher Ground will ensure that it does. Full Strategy can be found at: https://lnkd.in/gmG5saDK.

Live Webinar: Unlocking Economic Opportunity Through Community Intervention and Digital Skilling: A New Approach for Tourism Capacity Building in Asia The rise of digital tourism offers immense potential for expanding economic opportunities and building relevant capacity and skilling, particularly in rural communities. As digitisation puts newer destinations on the map, and more and more micro-entrepreneurs are directly connected to global travellers, the opportunities unlocked by tourism have multiplied exponentially. With relevant interventions, governments, civil society and private entities can truly uplift rural communities and offer them newer avenues of growth and economic upliftment. While the promise of a digital tourism platform makes economic opportunity accessible for everyone, the reality is that certain communities still face hurdles as access to digital skills and training continues to be inequitable. This is where capacity building projects help to bridge the gap. Airbnb is working with local communities to address these issues – from internet connectivity, to digital literacy, introduction to entrepreneurship, basic tourism operating skills, and much more. More information and how to register here: https://lnkd.in/geDHBbbM

📢Tourism Growth Program- The first intake is now open. What you need to know! Yesterday the Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, launched the new Tourism Growth Program. Following the national launch, Minister Filomena Tassi, the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, announced the launch of the program for our region. ✅The Tourism Growth Program is a key part of the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy. FedDev Ontario is delivering this program with their regional development agency (RDA) colleagues across Canada. ✅The program provides $108 million over three years to help Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, small- and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profit organizations to grow and develop local tourism products and experiences that will position Canada as a destination of choice for domestic and international visitors. ✅Over $30 million is available to businesses and organizations in southern Ontario to develop tourism attractions and experiences that will draw people to our communities. ✅About 15% of the investment will support Indigenous-led tourism initiatives. ---------------------- The first intake is now open, and we will be accepting applications until February 29, 2024, 8:59 pm Eastern Time. Find out if your project is eligible for the Tourism Growth Program and apply by February 29, 2024: https://ow.ly/XnBZ50Q9uXH Have a question? Contact centre ☎️1-866-593-5505 or email ([email protected]). Virtual information sessions hosted by FedDev will provide an overview of the application process for businesses and organizations interested in applying for funding. 📅Dec 4 📅Dec 7 📅Dec 8 Register here: https://bit.ly/3SRDknz

The WELCOME Framework, funded by Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and State and Territory tourism organisations, highlights quick, easy ways for visitor economy businesses to offer the best customer experience for ALL travellers. It doesn’t have to begin with major infrastructure upgrades. Austrade’s Tourism Research Australia estimates that in the June quarter 2023 alone the total value of domestic travel by people with accessibility needs and people who travelled with them was $6.8 billion. This equals 21% of total domestic tourism spend in that quarter. The WELCOME Framework guide has practical advice to make tourism businesses more accessible and inclusive with easy-to-follow steps for to: • reduce barriers to participation • view accessibility and inclusivity as a universal approach to business • start their accessible tourism journey. Accessibility is about making sure all people of all abilities have the tools to enjoy the same products and services as everyone else. Inclusion is about ensuring everyone gets a chance to take part. It’s focused on cultural practices and shifting social norms, so that everyone can enjoy themselves while participating. The Framework covers: • W for Welcome • E for Environment • L for Links • C for Communication • O for Operations • M for Marketing • E for Experience. Download and read the WELCOME Framework: https://lnkd.in/gS-MgVJD