Destination Central Coast becomes 1 of 100 Travel Innovations

Destination Central Coast will now feature alongside other successful tourism leaders in the 100 Travel Innovations program, launched by Destination-Think! from 27 September 2024, on World Tourism Day.

Destination Think’s ‘100 Travel Innovations’ program will be run by industry leaders from across the globe. Together, leading experts will band together and offer practical insights and proven solutions to tackle the tourism industry’s challenges.

The tourism industry faces a multitude of challenges, including helping communities benefit from tourism, leading with organisation’s values, preserving the environment, addressing housing and social equity concerns and navigating a crisis.

As representatives for the Central Coast region, Destination Central Coast will share their innovative solution on how they’ve spearheaded anti-litter campaigns directed at visitors to the region.

Our region’s winning solution has derived from the natural partnership grown between an organisation called Take 3 for the Sea, who have been spreading awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans since 2009.

Together, their mission is to encourage locals and visitors to take at least three pieces of litter home with them when they visit a beach, waterway or anywhere to make a difference for the natural environment. 

Destination Central Coast supports Take 3 with their GroundSwell Litter Lab that upskills tourism businesses in New South Wales on how to reduce litter in their operations and popular tourist spots. It is a free program that gives businesses the tools needed to lead litter prevention, be better stewards of the destination and act in alignment with the Central Coast’s ECO Destination commitment.

With the NSW Central Coast welcoming 5.6 million domestic and international travellers between March 2023 to March 2024, we’ve more people experiencing our coastline and bushland. This global solution helps to protect our environment and communities while also embracing a sustainable visitor economy in our ECO Destination.

Find out more about Destination Central Coast's Travel Innovation.

In 2022, on the biggest international day for the planet's health - World Environment Day - the Central Coast officially became one of Australia's first certified ECO Destinations. Since then, the Central Coast has won First Place in the global Green Destinations Story Awards at the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin!

As leaders in the ecotourism realm, Destination Central Coast has remained dedicated to conservation and sustainable tourism which has only become strengthened by partnerships with organisations like Take 3 for the Sea.

Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.