Campbelltown City is located less than an hour southwest of the Sydney CBD and 2.5 hours north of Canberra, with Wollongong and the Illawarra approximately 45 minutes to the southeast.
One of the most proactive councils in the greater Sydney region in regards to tourism promotion, Council has experienced phenomenal success with its guided group tour program.
Campbelltown’s tourism staff began hosting guided tours in the early 2000s to form part of Council’s annual Heritage Festival program. The tours proved to be so popular that additional tours were coordinated with increasing regularity.
Promotion of the tours soon extended outside the local region to seniors groups, coach groups and group tour organisers throughout greater Sydney and the Illawarra. In 2007, Council began promotion of the group tour itineraries to the interstate market, namely Victoria, ACT and southeast Queensland.
Over the past number of years, the tours have been developed into a successful year round program, comprising half day, full day and overnight tours.
To encourage repeat visitation, itineraries were diversified and new themes created. Some of the most popular itineraries include a ghost and ghoul tour, bushranging tour, heritage tour, art and cultural tour, food and wine tour, military tour and a garden tour.
The popularity of the tours continues to contribute to business and employment within the region. Local restaurants, attractions and accommodation all benefit from the increasing number of tours frequenting the Campbelltown region.
Council now employs a staff member responsible for the coordination of the group tours, as well as a number of casual tour guides.
Today, the number of group tours is up 187 per cent from 2002 figures, with bookings having increased by 73 per cent in the past two years alone. So far, 2008 is shaping up to be the most successful year to date.
For further information contact Campbelltown Visitor Information Centre ‘Quondong’ on (02) 4645 4921.
