The Regional Tourism Activation Fund is accelerating the development of new and enhanced tourism infrastructure across regional NSW.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: From $500,000 to $20,000,000
- Application opened: 2 August 2022
- Application closed: 27 September 2022, 5:00 pm
Program objective
Regional Tourism Activation Fund – Round 2
The $150 million Regional Tourism Activation Fund - Round 2 supports the development of high impact tourism infrastructure projects that increase visitation, expenditure and extend length of stay for visitors to regional NSW.
Round 2 is focused on accelerating the development of high impact tourism and events infrastructure that will increase the international appeal of destinations in regional NSW and boost the visitor economy through increased visitation and job creation. The Fund aims to support projects that are accessible and inclusive for everyone and ensure all visitors to regional NSW have unforgettable experiences that encourage repeat visitation.
This program is funded and administered by Department of Regional NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Applicants must be an incorporated entity and hold an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN), or be registered with NSW Fair Trading under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 or another Act.
Eligible applicants include:
- Local councils
- Joint organisations of councils, or council groupings and associations
- Incorporated not-for-profit organisations
- Community organisations registered as incorporated associations
- Local Aboriginal Land Councils
- An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.
Who can’t apply
Unincorporated organisations are ineligible to apply.
Further information about the eligibility criteria can be found within the program guidelines (PDF 3.85MB).
The Regional Tourism Activation Fund is for high-impact tourism infrastructure projects that have the potential to become iconic visitor experiences for regional NSW.
Examples of eligible project types include:
Nature-based tourism
- iconic walking and hiking trails
- aquatic and coastal projects such as over-water walkways and major viewing platforms
- adventure cycling such as mountain bike and BMX trails
- adventure trails that cover land and water experiences.
Arts, culture and events infrastructure
- Aboriginal tourism experiences
- major arts infrastructure
- cultural experiences including history and heritage projects
- major event and festival infrastructure
- major conference centre facilities.
- Costs that would be considered business-as-usual activities
- Core government activities or business operations and administrative running costs
- Projects or activities already funded by/receiving NSW Government funding, with the exception of new stages of a previously funded project or activity
- Marketing, advertising, or product promotion including signage, with the exception of promotional activities specifically related to the project and are essential to its success
- Engaging or paying permanent employees
- Activities, equipment or supplies that are already being supported through other sources
- Financing costs, including interest and debt financing
- Capital expenditure for the purchase of everyday business activities such as office furniture and equipment, motor vehicles, computers, printers and photocopiers, with the exception of equipment specifically related to the project and essential to its success
- Costs involved in the purchase or upgrade/hire of software (including user licenses) and ICT hardware, with the exception of software specifically related to the project and essential to its success
- Costs such as rent and utilities unless specifically related to the project
- Staff training and development costs not specifically related to the project
- Insurance costs (applicants must hold and maintain adequate insurance coverage for any liability arising as a result of their participation in funded activities)
- Costs related to obtaining human resources used on the project, including job advertising, recruiting, and contract negotiations
- Depreciation of plant and equipment beyond the life of the project
- Opportunity costs relating to allocating resources to the agreed grant project
- Projects that require ongoing grant funding from the NSW or Australian government
- Projects that will proceed without any NSW Government financial assistance
- Buying or upgrading equipment that is not fixed to a particular site, with the exception of equipment specifically related to the project and essential to its success
- Retrospective funding to cover any project component that is already complete before funding is announced.
Program guidelines
For more information about the Regional Tourism Activation Fund, including key dates, eligibility and merit-based assessment criteria, please refer to the program guidelines (PDF 3.85MB).
Online Information Sessions
An Online Information Session covering the objectives of the Fund and the program guidelines was held on Tuesday 9 August. Please view the recording of this session here.
An Online Information Session has been provided to support and assist applicants with the datasheet. Please view the recorded Online Information Session for the datasheet here.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
For more information about the Regional Tourism Activation Fund, including key dates, eligibility and merit-based assessment criteria, please refer to the program guidelines (PDF 3.85MB).
Prepare your application with this checklist
Applicants are required to provide the following documentation:
- completed application form
- confirmation of the required co-contribution towards the project
- completed datasheet (template provided) with information such as the expected visitation, income streams, job creation and expenditure associated with the project
- evidence of at least $20 million in public liability insurance, or evidence that the applicant is willing to secure at least $20 million in public liability insurance if successful
- Project plan (template provided) that outlines the project delivery timeline
- evidence of experience delivering projects of similar size and scope, or demonstrated capability to deliver the project
- evidence of the readiness of the project, including the status of development applications (if applicable), costings and quotes from suppliers, landowner’s consent and construction approvals where required
- letters of support for the project.
Applications requesting over $5 million will be required to submit a business case as an attachment to their application and are encouraged to utilise the business case template provided.
Resources for applicants
The following resources are available to support applicants with their submissions:
Address the eligibility criteria
All applications will be assessed for eligibility and only eligible applications will be considered for funding.
Applications must be led by an eligible entity and projects must be located in one or more of the 93 regional NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs), the Unincorporated Far West or Lord Howe Island. Projects located in the Greater Sydney metropolitan area, and the Newcastle and Wollongong LGAs are ineligible for funding.
Further information about the eligibility criteria can be found within the program guidelines (PDF 3.85MB).
Address the assessment criteria
Eligible applications will be assessed against four merit-based assessment criteria.
- Criteria 1: Strategic alignment and visitor appeal
- Criteria 2: Economic outcomes
- Criteria 3: Deliverability and affordability
- Criteria 4: Accessibility, inclusion, and community
Further information about the merit-based assessment criteria can be found within the program guidelines (PDF 3.85MB).
After the application is submitted
Successful applicants will be notified confidentially from November 2022 or as soon as possible after an application is approved, at the NSW Government’s discretion. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application and will be offered a feedback session.
Support and contact
Department of Regional NSW staff can provide support during the application process. Please contact us for a referral to your local Business Development Manager.
Phone: 1300 679 673
Program evaluation
Round One
Round One of the Regional Tourism Activation Fund provided almost $30 million in funding to over 30 projects that support the development of unique and high impact tourism infrastructure and improve the accessibility of visitor experiences across regional NSW.
Please see the map below for more details on the successful projects.