There is a constant pull and push in many cultural institutions between curating a space that is thought provoking, innovative and unique while also managing the need to be sustainable or, in some cases, generate an income just to keep the doors open. tourism can play a role in helping to fill this void.  

According to Cultural Attractions of Australia, cultural tourism is one of Australia’s fastest growing tourism segments with the sector growing 23% over the past five years, compared to total tourism growth of 19%.

So where should you start? Sparrowly Group’s Justine Sinclair provides the key steps to diversifying without losing your cultural DNA.

At Sparrowly Group creating strong and connected industries and people is part of who we are. We believe that sharing collective knowledge is key to helping everyone and every place thrive. Over the past month or so the team has been out and about gathering and sharing knowledge across a number of industries including the Visitor Economy, Economic and Workforce development.  

Beyond sharing our knowledge, we also value the opportunity to learn from our peers. Here are our key takeaways.

The nexus of workforce development, the visitor economy, economic development, and community development is a powerful one. They aren’t isolated efforts but interconnected pillars that support thriving communities and robust economies. And, if we really want to support thriving communities and economies, we need to stop working in silos. But why does Australia and the organisations and budgets that support these sectors still work in silos? Why aren’t we working all hands together?

The team at Sparrowly Group has witnessed travel trends come and go over the years some of which become mainstays. As we move into a new year, there are three key areas we recommend incorporating into your destination and business planning.  

While these travel behaviours are not the first to evolve and won’t be the last. What’s important is to be forward thinking, know your customer, understand their needs and listen to their feedback.

By making this an always on mindset in your destination development and experience design, you won’t need to wait to learn what the trends are…you will set the trend.

In October, Sparrowly Group’s Giovanna Lever represented Australia at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Gastronomy Conference. Here are her learnings and resources for colleagues in the Australian tourism, food production and hospitality industries.

Sensory Experience is the connection of physical senses including sight, touch, taste, sound and smell to an experience. In this article, Sparrowly Group’s Morgan Thorn explores how your every day activities or surroundings can be developed into a memorable sensory experience.