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Touring Routes of National Significance

The National Tourism Signage Reference Group (NTSRG) assesses applications for the designation of ‘Touring Routes of National Significance’.

Routes assessed by the NTSRG must first have the endorsement of Australian Standing Committee on Tourism (ASCOT) as Touring Routes of National Significance.

Apply to be recognised as a Touring Route of National Significance

Before you submit an application to the NTSRG for consideration it is recommended that you:

  1. Review the Australian Standard AS 1742.6 and read the ‘Themed Touring Routes’ section
    Purchase AS 1742.6
  2. Review <Assessment criteria for touring routes> and the accompanying help questions so that you understand what is considered in assessing an application.
  3. Discuss your application with your State or Territory NTSRG representatives
  4. Submit your application to the NTSRG secretariat (Tim Bracher, Bramark Consulting)

Assessing a touring route

When we assess a touring route we consider visitor comfort, safety, traffic management, tourism experiences and scenery, route governance and management. The assessment is one of overall quality control.

Applications are normally assessed at the annual NTSRG National Symposium, which is generally held mid-year. However, if there are exceptional circumstances an application may be considered at other times of the year.

Nationally significant touring routes – different lists

Tourism authorities may choose to promote different touring routes based on their criteria, such as the tourism experiences they offer. For this reason the nationally significant routes that are endorsed by ASCOT, through the NTSRG, may not always feature on Tourism Australia’s listing of recommended touring routes. Conversely, most of the Tourism Australia nominated drives and touring routes may not appear on the ASCOT list.

The benefits of being designated nationally significant

Being declared a ‘Touring Route of National Significance’ by the NTSRG does not confer any tangible benefit for an applicant region or organisation, nor does it attract special funding.

However, such a designation may provide a useful competitive marketing edge, especially when engaged in international tourism marketing.