Bundaberg Tourism and Bundaberg Regional Council are excited to announce that the Bundaberg Visitor Information Centre (VIC) will be relocated to one of the Region’s premier attractions, Hinkler Hall of Aviation (HHA).
The relocation integrates the important service into a key attraction regional guests are already attending to create a more immersive welcome to the Region, as well as driving more visitors to the museum.
The move is the first step in rolling out a model of Visitor Services across the region that will see increased engagement with the region’s guests while streamlining costs across the Regional Tourism Organisation.
Katherine Reid, Bundaberg Tourism CEO, said “Visitor Services remain a vital part of the tourism landscape and this new model, combining the VIC with Hinkler Hall of Aviation, allows us to reallocate funds from bricks and mortar operations into high-impact destination marketing, targeting potential travellers while they're still dreaming and planning, not just after they've arrived.
“Modern travellers use technology to plan and book their trips, often locking in key experiences before they even arrive into region.
“While digital will increasingly be the most effective way to deliver information, they still crave those genuine, local connections once they’re here - the Bundaberg Region is known and loved for its people and their warm country-town welcome.
“The spirit of our Region will continue to be shared through authentic, local insights across in-destination visitor servicing - over a friendly chat at a café with the waitstaff, tips from their accommodation host, a quick recommendation at the post office, or advice from a volunteer at an information booth.
“This smarter use of resources will deliver better return on investment for our community, our funding partners and our industry.
“We're excited to work alongside the team at HHA to ensure a warm, knowledgeable welcome continues for every visitor - just in a more integrated, experience- rich setting!” said Ms Reid.
Mayor Helen Blackburn said Bundaberg Regional Council was pleased to provide further support to the Bundaberg Tourism team through the relocation of its Bundaberg Visitor Information Centre to Hinkler Hall of Aviation.
“This move is a win for visitors and a win for our iconic aviation museum experience as well as the wider Botanic Gardens precinct which has so many attractions on offer,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“Council and Bundaberg Tourism have always worked closely together to promote the region to visitors near and far and it is wonderful to further strengthen those ties.
“In recognition of how important tourism is to our regional economy Council provides funding to support Bundaberg Tourism for its activities which promotes our region to national and international audiences.
“The relocation of our dedicated tourism team to the Hinkler Hall of Aviation will create operational efficiencies for Bundaberg Tourism to ensure the best value and improved outcomes for our region while maintaining the essential Visitor Information Centre service.”
The Regional tourism industry has seen significant growth since 2017, with domestic overnight visitor numbers up 17.5% to 706,000 and the financial impact within the region is up 82% to $452 million between December 2027 to December 2024. Digital visitor information assets such as the Destination Website are engaging increasing numbers of the region’s guests each year – up 56% in 2024 compared to 2017 - however walk-in visitors to all Visitor Information Centres have been in decline since 2017.
