The creative and tourism sectors will come together at a series of free workshops throughout the Central West this April.

The ‘Arts & Cultural Tourism in Regional NSW: From Ideas to Action’ workshops are hosted by regional arts development organisation Arts OutWest.

Arts OutWest Executive Director Kylie Shead said that, with current travel challenges, it’s more important than ever to attract visitors to the Central West."And likewise find new ways of supporting our creative and heritage sectors," Ms Shead added. “We know that arts and culture can play a powerful role in driving visitation and strengthening regional identity... We encourage people from all parts of the puzzle — the creatives and the tourism operators, as well as local government and agencies — to come together in these workshops."

Industry expert Andrew Grey will draw on recent research and a brand new resource toolkit to deliver the sessions, which will help participants better position existing cultural activity as part of the visitor economy. They will look to identify opportunities to shape new experiences that are compelling, place-based, and aligned with what visitors are seeking.

Participants will consider how to develop and package arts and cultural activity into bookable, market-ready experiences, and how to build stronger connections with the tourism sector, including local operators, destination marketing organisations and councils.

The workshops are open to the whole community and would be relevant for artists, cultural organisations, tourism businesses and local government. They are designed to be collaborative and outcome-focused, supporting participants to identify practical next steps for growing cultural tourism in their own communities.

The first round of workshops will be held in Grenfell, Canowindra, and Lithgow:

Tuesday 21 April – Grenfell Community Hub, Grenfell, 9.30am to 12pm.

Tuesday 21 April - Perennialle Plants Nursery, Cafe and Emporium, Canowindra, 2.30pm to 5pm.

Wednesday 22 April – Lithgow Library, Lithgow, 1pm to 3:30pm.