Dubbo edged out other regional cities to land the headquarters of the new champion for tourism for more than 60 per cent of the state.

Home to Taronga Western Plains Zoo and well-placed within the huge region, Dubbo had plenty to offer.

It was chosen in a public expression of interest process and officially opened its doors on Friday.

Destination Country and Outback NSW is one of six Destination Networks (DNs) made during a NSW government reform of regional tourism.

Chairman of its seven-member board Stephen Bartlett said they had invited Broken Hill, Tamworth, Armidale, Orange, Mudgee and Dubbo to submit an expression of interest making their case for why the base should be located with them.

Dubbo had always been “high in the consideration process” because of its locality and the way the council and the community had encouraged visitors over the years, he said.

On top of that, it was home to the zoo, “one of our national icons for tourism”.

“They went through a public process and the minister [for tourism Adam Marshall] was involved at the end of the day in selection of Dubbo as the headquarters for Destination Country and Outback,”  Mr Bartlett said.

The organisation is in the process of recruiting a general manager, said the chairman, who lives at Tamworth.

A business development manager has already been appointed and it would soon be seeking an administrative officer.

“So we’d hope within the next six weeks we’ll have the three complement of staff on the ground here living in Dubbo,” Mr Bartlett said.

“One of the requirements for our general manager’s role, because with technology you don’t necessarily have to live in a community, but we’ve made it a condition of employment that general manager and the business development manager be domiciled or be a permanent resident of Dubbo.

“I think the fact that Dubbo Regional Council through the general manager Mark Riley has been so accommodating with our accommodation... I think we owe that to your community to ensure all our staff permanently reside here in Dubbo.”

Staff salaries come through the DN’s budget, handed down by the NSW government through Destination NSW, Mr Bartlett reported.

“Those appointments will be to the 30th June, 2020, and then the government during that time, probably in the last 12 months, will look at how this reform has progressed,” he said.

“It’s ability to achieve increases in the visitor numbers.

“The objective is by the end of 2020, NSW will double its visitor numbers.”