Tourist attraction sign application
Tourist signs have white words on a brown background and show the location details and direct motorists to nearby tourist attractions.
Before applying for a sign, you must meet all core criteria and any specific criteria for the category that relates to your tourist attraction.
If you are granted approval for a sign, you will be required to pay for sign design, manufacturing and installation.
Core criteria
To qualify for tourist signs, your tourist attraction must:
- be well established and operating for at least 6 months (providing a significant tourism experience)
- have all relevant local, state and commonwealth licences and approval to operate
- not require pre-bookings to visit the attraction during normal opening hours
- be open for a minimum of 5 days a week, including weekends and public holidays (excluding Good Friday, Anzac Day and Christmas Day) and a minimum of 6 hours per day. Must be open during school holidays
- provide adequate parking, either on-site or within close and convenient proximity to the attraction
- provide visitors with high-quality interpretation (for example, guided tours, self-guided tour brochures, audio tours, brochures or pamphlets, labels or text panels, annotated displays). Attractions cannot rely solely on verbal interpretation provided by an operator or staff member
- provide toilet facilities that comply with disability access legislation
- be appropriately signed so that it is easily identifiable at the entrance, with information about the opening hours, days of operation and contact details included
- be supported by relevant marketing material (for example, a brochure available from the nearest Visitor Information Centre, or an established website that includes printable information, that clearly states the street address, opening days and hours, and contact phone numbers). It should also include a map that provides clear navigation to the attraction, without relying on signs
- be open for 9 months of the year or more. An attraction open less than 9 months of the year seeking tourist signing needs to prove why it legitimately cannot deliver a year-round experience (for example, climatic seasonal factors that affect the quality of the experience).
Desirable criteria
It's desirable for tourist attractions applying for signs to:
- be accredited through Australian Transport Assessment and Planning (Australian accreditation program)
- participate in the local, regional or peak sector tourism organisation.
Choose the category that relates to your tourist attraction to apply for or renew a tourist road sign and show any additional requirements.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, a gallery must:
- have a professionally presented exhibition space greater than 50m2
- demonstrate more than 30% of the art or craft works displayed are by local and/or regional artists.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, an art or craft outlet must:
- be a studio type gallery, featuring a resident artist or craftsperson
- display a production process, together with associated interpretation
- have a professionally presented exhibition space greater than 50m2
- demonstrate more than 30% of the art or craft works displayed are by local or regional artists.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, a museum must have:
- consistent displays or presentations which relate to the local community and its identity, or to a specific theme
- displays of adequate substance, quality or significance to convey knowledge of the particular theme or identity to visitors
- management policies and practices that ensure the collection, its display and interpretation are maintained to a high standard
- collections or displays representing a specific theme. Applicants must demonstrate how the collections or displays represent a particular theme or local or regional identity
- adequate exhibition space. The exhibition space must be greater than 50m2.
Specific criteria for this category
If you own and operate an attraction classified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and you are not Indigenous, you must provide evidence you have consulted with the traditional owners for the area and have approval to display directional signage to the attraction.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, historic sites, buildings and monuments must:
- be registered on the Queensland Heritage Register or the local heritage register
- have interpretative material and supporting literature available for visitors providing adequate insights into the heritage values and/or significance of the attraction.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, wineries must have a purpose-built facility for tasting (cellar door) and sales. The tasting facility is to be located where either:
- wine production processes can be viewed or interpreted
- the vineyard can be viewed and visited.
Your signage application will be assessed on experiences offered to visitors through viewing the processes and learning about the industry.
Specific criteria for this category
There are no specific criteria for this category.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, zoos, wildlife parks and aquariums must meet the Queensland licensing requirements.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, national parks must:
- ensure the national park authority is the applicant, or the applicant must provide written approval from the owner
- provide an informative experience for visitors
- where national parks have multiple access points, should only sign the points that have significant tourism experience
- ensure that hard copy collateral material/websites and so on be available for the visitor to research the type of experience/activities available in the national park
- ensure all national parks signage will be located on the nearest arterial road.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, theme parks must:
- have an identifiable and consistent theme. Themes could include movie making, gold mining, wildlife etc.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, state significant attractions must:
- be open daily (excluding Good Friday, Anzac Day and Christmas Day)
- exceed 500,000 visitors per annum (verified by an independent professional, for example certified practising accountant).
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, historic towns and precincts, the town or precinct must:
- have a concentrated number of heritage attractions and be recognised on the Queensland Heritage Register or by the relevant federal heritage office
- have applications endorsed by the relevant local authority. In most cases the Chief Executive Officer of the local council should be the applicant.
Specific criteria for this category
To qualify for tourist signs, a wine region must:
- be recognised by Wine Australia and be identified with a regional name
- have a critical mass of at least 4 wineries and at least 75% of these need to be open, without appointment, on any given day, including both days of the weekend
- have promotion as an integrated wine region. For example, a brochure available at the nearest Visitor Information Centre, or an established website with printable information. It should include details of the wineries in the region and a map with clear navigation to the region, without relying entirely on signs.
Note: Although it is necessary for wine regions to be recognised by Wine Australia, the official boundaries are not always suitable locations for welcome signs. Where possible, all wine region welcome signs should be within a short distance of the first winery, information bay or visitor centre. An information bay or visitor centre should be located at the beginning of the region, where relevant information can be obtained (e.g. the number of wineries, operating hours, contact details and map showing indicative locations of the wineries and the overall region).
Specific criteria for this category
There are no additional criteria for this category.
Specific criteria for this category
If your tourist attraction does not fit within a category listed above, you must:
- provide a written description of the attraction (e.g. details about the type, nature and significance of the attraction to visitors), supported by documented evidence (e.g. photographs, diagrams)
- describe the experience(s) offered to visitors
- provide details on current visitation numbers.
Also consider...
- Read the Tourist and service signs guideline for more detailed information on tourist signs on state controlled roads.
- Find support and contacts for tourist and service signs.