Central Coast Council’s tourism marketing arm, Destination Central Coast, recently held the region’s first international showcase unveiling our beautiful region to a world-wide audience.

The event named 'Meet Your Central Coast' held at Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures, showcased the Central Coast as an ECO destination with nature-based experiences, 4-5 star accommodation and venues, food and wine tastings.

Central Coast Council Director Community and Recreational Services, Melanie Smith, said the collaboration presented the region as a united front as part of Destination Central Coast’s strategy to drive tourism from international markets which brings $39.6m expenditure into the region annually (source Tourism Research Australia, YE March 2025).

“It was fantastic to be able to showcase our world class Central Coast businesses, including the fact they are only an hour’s drive from Sydney, to a very discerning group of global tourism operators,” Ms Smith said.

Throughout the day, eight Central Coast tourism operators impressed the visiting group with an engaging array of activations to provide just a taste of what Central Coast has to offer inbound groups.

The program featured quad bike and horseback riding with Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures, a pearl and oyster mini masterclass with Broken Bay Pearl Farm, animal encounters with Australian Reptile Park and Iris Lodge Alpacas, complete with a chocolate and wine tasting by Firescreek Botanical Winery.

Premium accommodation venues - Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific, Encore by Mingara and the upcoming voco® Gosford – also presented, highlighting their international standard accommodation.

Business Development Manager, Nathan Murray from Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures described the showcase as “a real milestone”.

“It was fantastic to have so many international operators in the room and to be able to showcase (show off) our unique venue and offerings.

“I think we proved this region isn't just a stopover, it's a destination in its own right, and we're ready to welcome the world,” Mr Murray said.

Ms Smith added that tourism operators have now begun arranging their own on-site familiarisation events to offer agents a first-hand taste of their product and tour offerings to continue building relationships with international distributors.

The Central Coast is now Ecotourism certified under Ecotourism Australia’s globally recognised ECO Destination Certification, and is one of only eleven regions in Australia to hold this recognition in sustainable tourism.

Central Coast Council Mayor, Lawrie McKinna said the certification strengthens the Central Coast’s reputation as a leading eco-conscious destination which helps to attract even more visitors each year.

“We’ve held an ECO destination status for the past two years, and it cements our ongoing commitment to sustainable tourism, responsible visitor experiences, and the protection of natural and cultural assets in partnership with our community and tourism operators.

“We were immensely proud to host the recent inaugural showcase to support growth in international tourism and help put the Central Coast on the global map.

“It strongly reflects the collaborative effort between Council and tourism operators whose collective aim is to see economic growth for the local economy, which will support more jobs and opportunities,” Mayor McKinna said.

Visit lovecentralcoast.com/ecotourism to discover our region’s ECO journey and how you can be part of our journey to a greener, more sustainable future.