Tourism Greater Shepparton Supports The New SAM

The board of Tourism Greater Shepparton (TGS) has put its support behind the new Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) development committing $5,000 over three years to the New SAM.

TGS President, Ross Graham said, “the new SAM will build on Greater Shepparton’s growing ‘cultural tourism’ product offerings, attracting special interest travelling exhibitions, providing the ability to showcase emerging local artists works and to showcase our regions unique and significant indigenous art collection”.

The first instalment of TGS’s support, $2,000, was presented to the SAM Foundation, yesterday at the Visitor Economy Industry Luncheon held at the Parklake.

With the new museum, set to be completed in December 2020, the TGS Board believes the Museum will become a key cultural attraction, raising the profile of Shepparton amongst visitors as an attractive regional destination.

“The New SAM will also provide a valuable community space for local residents too, featuring dining and meeting places, events spaces, children’s gallery, workshop space and opportunities for education and places for the community to gather”  Ross Graham TGS President

“The New SAM will also provide a valuable community space for local residents too, featuring dining and meeting places, events spaces, children’s gallery, workshop space and opportunities for education and places for the community to gather”

- Ross Graham, TGS President

“Importantly the Museum will provide a permanent home to Kaiela Arts to showcase and celebrate Indigenous art and support local Indigenous artists, and will also be home to the Shepparton Visitor Centre, the first point of call for visitors wanting to discover Greater Shepparton’s hidden gems and attractions”.

The visitor economy is big business globally, and it is predicted to be the world’s largest industry by 2035. Ross said, “projects such as the new SAM will enable our region to capture its share of regional visitation and investment in line with other regional destinations, through the opportunity to establish niche markets. The TGS board is committed to working with key stakeholders to ensure we are best placed to support the state’s and importantly our region’s, growing visitor economy”.

An independent local tourism association, one of the key roles of TGS is to advocate on behalf of the local industry and its members and to foster partnerships with key stakeholders, such as Greater Shepparton City Council and the SAM Foundation, that are providing product and infrastructure to support this growing visitor economy and provide exceptional visitor experiences locally.