It's been described as one of the many jewels in the of the Upper Hunter's tourism crown, and now Hunter Warbirds has attracted another significant boost of funding from the NSW Government.
The announcement comes just days after the vintage aviation restoration facility at Scone Memorial Airport was officially opened at the inaugural Festival of Flight on Saturday, November 26.
The boost comes as part of Round Two of the NSW Government's Regional Tourism Activation Fund.
Member for Upper Hunter Dave Layzell said $1.486 million has been awarded to the Hunter Warbirds to continue its restoration efforts and attract tourism to the regions in conjunction with Upper Hunter Shire Council.
"Hunter Warbirds has a vision to offer a nationally significant living centre of heritage aviation experiences, which is a tourism drawcard for visitors to come to the Upper Hunter to learn more about aviation and pilot training," Mr Layzell said.
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"This won't only support Scone by increasing visitation, this will support local economies across the Upper Hunter and local jobs as more people spend at cafes, restaurants, hotels, motels and local shops."
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the Regional Tourism Activation Fund supports local economies and local jobs by backing unique tourism experiences that will attract visitors and showcase what regional NSW has to offer.
"We know regional NSW has Australia's best tourist destinations and experiences. We want to amplify that by helping create new experiences and drawcards that put more heads on beds and attract more tourism dollars into regional communities," Mr Toole said.
"The projects backed through the $150 million Round Two of the Regional Tourism Activation Fund will give domestic and international visitors even more great reasons to experience the best regional NSW has to offer."
Round Two focuses on accelerating the development of high impact tourism and events infrastructure that will increase the international appeal of destinations in regional NSW and boost the visitor economy through increased visitation and job creation.
The $180 million Regional Tourism Activation Fund is part of the NSW Government's $3.3 billion Regional Growth Fund, designed to support growing regional centres, activate local economies and improve services and community infrastructure for regional communities.
