NSW Government employees urged to take leave

In what might be seen as a desperate bid and perhaps a swan song to increase tourism visitation in NSW, outgoing NSW Minister for Tourism and Sport and Recreation, Sandra Nori, has urged the State’s more than 350,000 Government employees to use their banked up leave to get out and about in their own State, supporting regional areas in particular.

Ms Nori said nationally Australians had accrued some 70 million days of unpaid leave – more than 22 million days of which were estimated to be held by workers in NSW, adding, “NSW Government employees make up some 10% of the State’s workforce, so if we can get them to lead by example and spread the news when they return, many more will be encouraged to do the same”.

“This is a great way to help achieve the target of increasing tourist visitation in the Iemma Government’s 10-Year State Plan, simply by seeing employees use some of their accrued leave to take a break in NSW.”

In a message to NSW Government employees, Ms Nori is encouraging them to visit www.visitnsw.com.au to take advantage of travel deals and planning tools now available, following the site’s overhaul by Tourism NSW.

“Finding out what to do and where to go in NSW has never been easier, with tourists able to simply use the clickable area maps to navigate through all parts of NSW and plan their holidays,” she said.

Australian Business Limited, NSW’s largest business organisation, has also sent a similar message out to 6000 of their members across NSW, urging them to take their leave and holiday in the State.

“There is plenty of room for everyone to spread out on a beach, or enjoy the fruits of a vineyard, or enjoy a movie under the stars in NSW”, said Kevin MacDonald, CEO of ABL State Chamber.

“Let’s enjoy what we have, rather than searching the world for somewhere almost as good,” he said.

“One of the great advantages of taking holidays in NSW is that you don’t have to worry about the stresses of international travel.  Holidays are about re-charging the batteries for the coming year and you can do that, almost anywhere in NSW.

“Employers should have policies ensuring that staff take regular leave – there is no business value in carrying holidays as debt on the books, or having staff “burn out”.  Encouraging regular holidays is good business practice,” he said.

Ms Nori said the www.visitnsw.com.au site was constantly being updated with new holiday ideas, and currently had some 50 great deals to choose from – including short breaks to a range of destinations including the Central Coast, the Illawarra and the Hunter, starting from as little as $50 per person per night.

“NSW is blessed with a variety of holiday options – from the big city and the coast, through the hinterlands, heart of country, and our own rugged outback – all with the added bonus of providing that healthy rejuvenation and opportunity to re-connect with family that we are all craving at this time of year.

“This new website has information about more than 10,000 tourism products and events in NSW, making it the most comprehensive tourism website of its kind in Australia,” she added.

Report by The Mole