Page 4144 - Week 15 - Thursday, 17 December 1992
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The Tourism Commission also undertook a wide variety of activities including:
- releasing a number of new and revised publications such as the Destination
Canberra Book, the Canberra Travellers Guide and the Official Canberra
Visitors Map;
- specialised marketing activities aimed at senior citizens, ethnic groups and
schools;
- advertising and public relations activities, such as for Floriade, the ACT
Tourism Awards and the Visiting Media Program;
- sales, promotional and product development activities targeted at specific
regional and overseas markets and significant interstate travel shows;
- financial support for the Canberra Visitor and Convention Bureau.
I think it is obvious just from this selective summary that the Economic Development Divisions activities have a major impact on a wide variety of individuals and businesses. I have at various times advised the Assembly of the benefits that have accrued to the Canberra community from many of those activities. However, just to illustrate this point, I will outline some of the direct benefits for the community and the ACT economy:
- the Canberra Casino has paid an upfront premium of $19m which
will be used for community facilities; some $11m in tax revenue per year is
expected after five years as well as additional revenue. from payroll tax and
liquor licensing fees; around-280 new jobs will be available during
construction of the new premises with eventually some 500 new jobs in the
permanent casino; .
- tourists to the 1991 Floriade spat about $21m in Canberra while the more
aggressive marketing approach used this year by the Tourism Commission
resulted in a significant increase in visitors with over $31m being injected
in the local economy; last year, the tourism industry was estimated to be worth about $400m per.
annum to the ACT, supporting 7,000 jobs; the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme provided final support for 36 . . people for self-employment ventures including an exclusive fashion consultancy, a titanium jeweller, a specialty woodcarver and a mobile car detailing business; .we have provided a single point of contact for such companies as OPTUS
. and AOTC, to facilitate their development in the ACT. For example
OPTUS Communications recently located a switching facility at Mitchell.
which was assisted by the Economic Development Division, and provides .
the ACT with a significant foothold in the new generation of communications technology. _
The wide range of benefits resulting from the ACT Governments business: development and employment activities are listed in a paper on the "Business Development Initiatives, ACT Labor Government" released on 16 September 1992.
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