Thousands of people are expected to visit the North Coast of NSW this week for the seven day World Surf League Tweed Coast Pro, with crowds lining up to charge the local economy and thrusting valuable tourism dollars into local businesses, thanks to the NSW Government.
Member for Tweed Geoff Provest MP said over 240 of the best surfers from the Australia and Oceania region will battle it out for the lucrative top spot on the podium with a prize purse of $109,000 across four divisions.
Mr Provest said the event was made possible by the Regional Events Acceleration Fund, which encourages new major events to be delivered in regional areas, where they will have a positive impact on local economies.
“By hosting the Tweed Coast Pro this will help stimulate the local economy and shine a spotlight on all the region has to offer”
“This exciting event will showcase our amazing coastline and will see the region receive valuable tourism dollars and encourage future competitions to be held on the Tweed Coast,” Mr Provest said.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the Tweed Coast Pro will put regional NSW in front of a global audience of up to 10 million viewers, showcasing the capability of regional NSW to host major events.
“The Tweed Coast Pro puts regional NSW on the map as a place to visit, not only to catch a world-class wave but also as a place to come and enjoy major events and the beautiful sun, sand and surf that NSW is famous for,” Mr Barilaro said.
“Surf events bring money into local hospitality and tourism businesses and the Tweed Coast Pro event comes off the back of the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup, replacing Victoria’s Bells Beach, which injected millions of tourist dollars into the Newcastle economy.
“NSW is quickly becoming the surfing event capital of Australia after we successfully secured a second World Surf League Championship Tour event from Snapper Rocks in Queensland, hosting it in Narrabeen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in late April.”
The $20 million Regional Events Acceleration Fund is part of the $2 billion Regional Growth Fund, designed to support growing regional centres, activate local economies and improve services and community infrastructure for regional communities.
Applications are open now and will close on 17 December 2021, or when funding is fully committed.
Further information, including program guidelines and eligibility criteria are available on the NSW Government website: nsw.gov.au/REAFund.