Ballarat Regional Tourism is the separate, relatively autonomous tourism arm of the City of Ballarat. The board was created on January 27, 2011 to enable the local tourism sector to take ownership of destination promotion of Greater Ballarat.
Contents
Map of Ballarat VIC, Australia
The new organisation commenced operations on February 1, 2011 which is when it took over key tourism management responsibilities formerly handled by the Ballarat City Council. Responsibilities of the new tourism arm include promotion of Ballarat and surrounding areas as a tourist destination; providing visitor information through the visitor information center, and developing and attracting tourism and business events.
During its first year, the organisation was managed by a private sector board with the city council retaining ownership. On March 14, 2012 the city council voted to transfer Ballarat Regional Tourism's ownership to the private sector. The council will still continue to fund the board contingent on it meeting key performance indicators.
Ballarat's tourism industry generates $409.3 million annually and accounts for approximately 2,027 local jobs. Another $167.7 million is created for other local businesses from the tourist activities generated in the city.