On Monday, June 7, South East Arts (SEA) and Tourism providers from the region presented on the value of the arts and cultural sectors to the visitor economy of South East NSW which includes Bega Valley, Eurobodalla and in the Snowy Monaro.

"I think one of the key challenges for us is looking for ways to bring together our tourism and arts sectors," said SEA executive director Andrew Gray.

Mr Gray also said the way tourism and arts can come together to be measured should provide common ground for the two industries to work more cohesively.

He said that while the tourism industry has always been driven by scaling economic success. The arts sector on the other hand, needs to move towards cumulating data which would aim to validate the economic and social value of the arts sector for boosting regional and rural tourism.

The sector has a significant multiplier impact at a regional level and contributes to around 960 full-time equivalent jobs annually in the region.

In fact for every $1 of direct visitor spending on arts and cultural experiences, another $4.70 in spending occurs on food, accommodation, purchases and other visitor services. The arts and cultural sector also boosts annual regional income by $87.5 million.

A cultural tourist is considered to be someone who might visit the theatre, festivals or fairs. They might also visit museums, art galleries, craft workshops or studios.

When people go into regional Australia, about 43% go to galleries, concerts, or museums which is the highest out of all types of cultural tourism.

They might otherwise enjoy historical heritage buildings, sites or monuments as well as Aboriginal art, tours, sites or performances.

The NSW Government, under the Arts and Cultural Policy Framework, is investing $100 million over four years for cultural infrastructure through the Regional Cultural Fund.

SEA will be working with tourism providers to secure funding grants through the scheme, which they believe will help raise the cultural profile of the region and therefore drive tourism.

Investment in cultural infrastructure and events is recognised as a way of attracting visitors and promoting a region's image as a cultural destination.

SEA is one of 14 Regional Arts Development Organisations operating under the Regional Arts Network along with the service organisation Regional Arts NSW.

SEA also took the occasion to launch their new website, which brings together all the art and cultural offerings of the region into an interactive map.

It will allow visitors to the region to be able to click on the Bega Valley Shire and choose which sites they wish to visit or create their own curated arts and culture trip throughout the area.