Media Release - Tourism and the Arts gain Momentum

This week at the Council Ordinary General Meeting, Councillor Danita Potter highlighted a number of initiatives in Tourism and the Arts as part of her Community, Arts, Tourism and Health portfolio.

Recently the South Burnett was the topic of interest for two (2) visiting journalists who came to our region specifically to write about their experiences.  Belinda Seeney, a food and travel writer visited our region to gain content for ‘foodie stories’.  Her story ‘Best Bites South Burnett’ was recently featured in the Courier Mail.  Cath Johnsen, a journalist for Brisbane Kids magazine, enjoyed a two (2) day South Burnett experience with her family which included travelling the South Burnett Rail Trail.

Last month Goomeri once again held a very successful Pumpkin Festival. Whilst the South Burnett local government boundary does not include the town of Goomeri, it is included in the South Burnett tourism region.  With this in mind, Council has distributed a survey to South Burnett businesses to gain some insight into how this year’s Pumpkin Festival has impacted their business economically.  Once data has been finalised, it will be provided to the community through the monthly updates.

Cr Potter further highlighted a recent meeting with the Partnership Manager for Arts Queensland, Katie Woods.  “I welcomed the invitation to discuss with Arts Queensland the arts development activities happening in the South Burnett through Council’s Economic Development Branch as well as the support provided to local artists through funding available through Council’s Community Grants Program.  Ms Woods thanked Council for the great work we are doing in this space and acknowledged how we now have synergies across the various segments of the arts.”