The Renewal of Vows ceremony at the Parkes Elvis Festival is one of the many events favoured by grey nomads.
Grey nomads and Rock ‘n Roll are not often mentioned in the same sentence, except when it comes to the Parkes Elvis Festival.
The largest celebration of Elvis’ life in the Southern Hemisphere has been named a finalist in the 2019 Grey Nomad Awards confirming the event’s reputation as a bucket list destination for mature age tourists.
“We are beyond thrilled to be nominated for a Grey Nomad Award,” said Festival Director Cathy Treasure. “Parkes Elvis Festival has been a cultural touchstone of regional NSW for over 25 years and this is largely thanks to the unbridled support of travellers over 50.”
With 80% of the more than 200 events
at the Parkes Elvis Festival free to attend, grey nomads make up a large portion of the typical festival visitor who are over 50 and stay in a caravan or RV. One in three visitors are over the age of 65.
The judges congratulated the Parkes Shire Council on catering so well to grey nomad festival goers. “We love that the town found a unique way to attract visitors when much of Australia is focussed on sea- side holidays.”
The Awards dinner is on 6th November, immediately following The Art of Attraction Tourism summit featuring Cathy Treasure as guest-speaker. The summit will explore two fast-growing 21st century tourism segments – senior travel and arts tourism.