THE new year is already looking positive for the Airlie Beach Race Week 'Festival of Sailing' with a generous amount of funding set to go towards the festival.

Yesterday, the Minister for Tourism and Major Events, the Hon. Kate Jones announced the festival, hosted by Whitsunday Sailing Club and due to take place in August, was set to receive $80,000 in funding thanks to the Queensland Destination Events Program (QDEP).

Now up to Round 5, the QDEP seeks to leverage the crucial link between events and the destinations where they are staged to extend the event's economic, marketing and social benefits to the benefit of the region.

Tourism Whitsundays CEO, Craig Turner congratulated Airlie Beach Race Week organisers and said the Festival of Sailing was a huge drawcard for the area.

"This funding is really great news not just for the local sailing community but for the whole region, as it will return significant economic benefits to the Whitsundays with visiting sailors, their family and friends, injecting tens of thousands of dollars into our local economy,” he said.

Round 6 of the QDEP, which is for events due to take place from August 2017 to November 2018, is now open and due to close on February 22, 2017.

To find out more, Tourism Whitsundays' Event Bootcamp will be held on January 23.

To RSVP, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CV2PTZ9.