Coffs Coast Business News - April 2025

Each month, the City of Coffs Harbour's Economic Development & Tourism Team collates information for all businesses, large and small, across the Coffs Coast - helping you stay informed, keep connected, and feel supported.

We hope you find our monthly newsletter valuable. Please feel free to forward it to colleagues and your team. They can also subscribe to receive a copy directly. Previous editions of Coffs Coast Business News are available to view here.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Business events and training

• Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce: Economic Analysis & Market Insights Breakfast - Wednesday 9 April
• Woopi News: Community and Business Breakfast - Wednesday 9 April
• BWN Coffs Coast: Cocktail + Connect - Thursday 8 May
• SJA Consultants: Industry Collective Workshop - Thursday 22 May
  
  NORTEC Free Online Training
• Digital tools for small business - Tuesday 15 April
• AI made simple: your own digital helper - Wednesday 16 April
• Exploring social media for small business - Tuesday 29 April
• Planning for the financial obligations of small business - Wednesday 30 April

Local news and opportunities

• In case you missed it around the region
• Expedia and WOTIF - April 2025 Travel Outlook
• North Coast Tourism Awards and Australian Event Awards
• Coffs Harbour Bypass - March Project Update

Grant funding and business support

• Coffs Harbour Grant Finder
• Carbon Living Grant
• Small business benchmarks

What's On Coffs Coast and major event calendar

LOCAL BUSINESS EVENTS

FREE ONLINE TRAINING with NORTEC

LOCAL NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Check out this monthly snapshot of articles, marketing activities, and campaigns making news across our region and beyond. Here's what's happening:

• Qantas Lounge Upgrade: Exciting updates to our lounges
• Qantas: Now is the time to lock in your Coffs Harbour holiday
• The Big Banana Fun Park: Works commence on the $5.5M Alpine Coaster
• Coffs Coast Blog: Ultimate Guide to North Coast Regional Botanic Garden Coffs Harbour

ALL COFFS COAST BUSINESSES are invited to share these news stories in their business marketing. This is a great way to bring people from out of the area to your business - and the content is already created for you!

Expedia and WOTIF - April 2025 Travel Outlook

As Australia fast approaches Easter and the school holidays, Expedia and Wotif have released the April Travel Outlook, revealing its most popular domestic and international destinations with savvy tips for booking a last-minute getaway.

Coffs Harbour sits at #9 in the Top Domestic Destinations based on lodging searches.

The report also finds, over a third of Aussies (38%) plan to travel during April, taking advantage of the extended public holiday period. 

Celebrate local excellence - enter now!

The Coffs Coast is home to incredible tourism businesses and unforgettable events—now’s your chance to be recognised! The North Coast Tourism Awards are closing soon (Friday 11 April). The revised format this year provides a seamless pathway from Regional Tourism Awards to NSW Tourism Awards, with Gold winners then proceeding to Australian Tourism Awards!

Meanwhile, entries are now open for the prestigious Australian Event Awards, recognising the outstanding events that help our region thrive. Adding to the excitement, Coffs Harbour will take centre stage as it hosts the Australian Event Symposium from 13–15 October 2025, welcoming event organisers from across the country.

GRANT FUNDING & BUSINESS SUPPORT

COFFS HARBOUR GRANT FINDER

The City of Coffs Harbour provides a free service for locals to find grants and grant writing tips. Register to be notified of specific grants for your business or organisation.

Managing carbon is both a challenge and an enormous opportunity for landholders.

If you are a landholder in NSW, you may be eligible for a NSW Government grant to set up a carbon planting project. This could help secure the health of your land, improve productivity, and unlock new income streams. Your land could be used to revegetate habitats for threatened or iconic species such as koalas.

Successful applicants can receive up to $200,000 of grant funding. The landholder is expected to commit funding and/or in-kind contributions to complete the project.  

WHAT'S ON @ COFFS COAST

Please reach out to our team at City of Coffs Harbour if you have any questions.

Check out our 6 degrees business support website for business events and resources.
For tourism industry and visitor economy business support and information, go to our Coffs Coast tourism industry hub.

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