A new campaign has launched to boost tourism in fire affected regions of NSW as part of a new tourism recovery package.
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The community driven campaign, Now's the Time to Love NSW, will focus on encouraging people locally, statewide and nationally to take a holiday in areas recently hit by bushfires.
Minister for Jobs, Investment and Tourism Stuart Ayres said the new campaign, developed by Destination NSW, taps into the outpouring of public support in the wake of the bushfires.
"The prolonged drought and unprecedented bushfires have broken our hearts and had a devastating impact on thousands of tourism operators in our beautiful state," Mr Ayres said.
"That's why now's the time to love NSW - we need to show the world that our many spectacular sights and experiences are in great shape, and they're welcoming visitors right now."
The campaign will be largely driven by a social media presence, kick starting the circulation of the hashtags #RecoveryWeekend and #LoveNSW, which asks people to stay and spend locally, take photos showcasing NSW's beauty featuring hands in the shape of a heart and to share them on social media with the tags.
Destination Riverina Murray general manager Richie Robinson said events were also a great way to bring in tourists and begin the road to recovery.
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"There are still a lot of events occurring in these areas like Tumbarumba's Tumbafest and Batlow's Ciderfest which will give these towns a big boost in the coming weeks," he said.
"Despite the impact of fires these events are going ahead and are actually looking to be bigger and better than before as people are keen to show their support."
In addition to Now's The Time To Love NSW marketing campaign, the package includes trade partner conversion campaigns with Qantas Airways, Accor, Webjet, TripAdvisor and Tigerair and a $1 million regional events program to support flagship events and a new stream of micro events.