Immersive Introduction
14 October 2026
Tourism businesses across the Central Highlands have access to some excellent support and opportunities right now. Here are a few key updates, industry insights, and an upcoming event you won’t want to miss:
Immersive Introduction
It’s been a productive few weeks since I started as CHDC’s Visitor Economy Coordinator. The immersive introduction to the region has included meetings with local tourism operators, support for grant applications, and a road trip from Toowoomba to Emerald via Carnarvon Gorge with our regional tourism organisation, Queensland Country Tourism (QCT). The CHDC team and Central Highlands community’s warm welcome has greatly added to my excitement to be here.
Country Connect
The joint CHDC-QCT road trip culminated with Country Connect, held in the Sapphire Gemfields. At the event, guest speakers from the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation (DETSI) and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) shared some of the free support, resources, and tools available to tourism businesses.
Tourism Support Hub
A key takeaway from Country Connect was DETSI’s free Tourism Support Hub, designed to do the heavy lifting so you can focus on what you do best – showcasing the Central Queensland Highlands.
The Tourism Support Hub offers free tailored advice, whether you’re looking to start a tourism business, expand an existing one, navigate a government process, or find grants and supporting data for applications.
Read more about the Tourism Support Hub here.
Best of Queensland
Are you Best of Queensland ready? That’s the question Andy Jiang from TEQ posed to the 30+ Country Connect attendees. He shared the steps tourism businesses can take to be ready for the end-of-year assessment for businesses listed on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW).
Having Best of Queensland status gives your business official recognition, additional marketing exposure, and valuable customer data.
To find out more, head here or email me to discuss where your business currently sits and identify opportunities for improvement.
Save the Date
Pencil Wednesday 2 December on your calendar for Tourism 26, CHDC’s annual tourism forum to connect, inform, and strengthen the local visitor economy and tourism industry. Stay tuned for more news about guest speakers, timing, and a special offer.
If we haven’t connected yet, I’d love to meet you and learn about your business. Email me to arrange a time that’s convenient.
