VIVID SYDNEY ANNOUNCES 2024 FOOD PROGRAMThis year's Vivid Food program has been revealed, embracing the festival’s theme - Humanity - and highlighting how food connects us through the universal language of cuisine. Vivid Fire Kitchen will return with a new home along the Vivid Sydney Light Walk at The Goods Line, offering free cooking demonstrations and BBQ fare available for purchase, ranging from tandoor and teppanyaki to First Nations food. Communal fire-cooked feasts will be created by some of the world’s best pitmasters and BBQ heroes including
Christine Manfield, Firedoor's Lennox Hastie, Texas' Jess Pryles, Michelin-starred Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt, Los Angeles’ Shalamar Lane and more. As part of Vivid Food, Vivid Residence will bring Latin America’s best female chef 2022, Manoella ‘Manu’ Buffara of Manu Restaurant, to Peter Conistis’ waterside venue Ploós, while hatted restaurants Fred’s, AALIA and The Charles Brasserie & Bar will be among the top dining spots hosting Vivid Chef Series events. Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW.
CHINA VISITOR MARKET RETURNS TO
NUMBER ONE IN NSW Australian Bureau of Statistics data for February 2024 shows China is once again NSW's number one source market for international visitors. NSW welcomed 352,320 short-term visitor arrivals, an increase of 105,300 compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. The number of trips for February 2024 was 1.4 per cent lower than February 2019. The three leading source countries for NSW were China (67,160 trips), United States (46,700) and New Zealand (38,250). China held the top spot for international visitors to NSW in 2019. However, due to strict border policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, its ranking slipped in 2020-2022. In the year ending December
2023 China ranked fourth as an international source market for NSW. Short-term visitor arrivals to Australia in February 2024 were up 43 per cent year on year to 857,950. The three leading source countries for visitors were China (149,770 trips), New Zealand (105,970) and the United States (82,790).
CRUISE PASSENGERS SURPASS 2019 LEVELSThe number of Australians taking holidays at sea has overtaken 2019 levels according to new data released by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Figures for 2023 show the number of Australians who took an ocean cruise during the calendar year reached 1.25 million, slightly above the 1.24 million who sailed in 2019. Australians showed a preference for close-to home itineraries – about 84.8 per cent cruised within Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific during 2023, up from 72.5 per cent in 2019. At 1.25 million passengers, Australia was the world’s fourth largest cruise market in 2023, behind the United States (16.9 million), Germany (2.5 million) and the United Kingdom (2.2 million). CLIA Managing Director in Australasia Joel Katz said: “Australians have not just returned to cruising, they’ve come back with enormous enthusiasm and at a faster pace than in other markets worldwide.”
NEW NAME FOR NSW TOURISM PORTFOLIOChanges are being made to the NSW Government's Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade to provide a renewed focus on government priorities in tourism, the arts, hospitality and the night-time economy, as well as driving the implementation of key reforms including the vibrancy reforms. These changes include a new name: the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport. Investment NSW will join the Premier’s Department. The changes will come into effect on July 1, 2024.
FRESH FOCUS FOR REGIONAL NSWThe NSW Government has announced changes to the way it will serve regional communities, with an enhanced focus on protecting biosecurity, supporting agriculture, fisheries, forestry and mining as well as broader regional development. From 1 July 2024, the Department of Regional NSW will be re-named the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Regional economic development will remain in the new department, with broader regional coordination functions returning to the NSW Premier’s Department.
WORKSHOPS: EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENTDestination NSW is presenting a series of Experience Development workshops for visitor economy businesses during 2024. These free, full-day workshops are designed to assist businesses including tour, attraction and accommodation providers to create and refine visitor experiences that meet visitor needs and showcase the strengths of NSW. Focus areas include agritourism, nature, culinary and wellness experiences. The next workshops will be held in Western Sydney (30 April), Bathurst (2 May) and the Snowy Valleys (9 May).
AUSTALIANS WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR ECO STAYSThe latest YouGov Surveys research across 17 international markets has found that around two in five people surveyed in Australia (42 per cent) are willing to pay more to stay at an eco-friendly hotel. This compares to close to three-quarters of consumers in the United Arab Emirates (73 per cent) being willing to pay more, ahead of almost seven in 10 Indian consumers (69 per cent). Three in five consumers in Indonesia, Hong Kong (both 61 per cent) and Mexico (60 per cent) are also open to higher room rates for sustainable accommodation.
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS ART FAIRThe National Indigenous Art Fair will return to The Rocks from 29-30 June 2024 to showcase creations from First Nations artists, designers and makers during its fifth annual market. The Overseas Passenger Terminal will be filled with 50 stalls, performances, panel discussions, bushfood and a communal weaving circle. All proceeds go directly to the artists and First Nations communities.
UPTOWN SYDNEY PRECINCT LAUNCHESA new going-out hub has been established in the northern end of Sydney’s central business district: UpTown Sydney CBD. Supported by the NSW Government's Uptown Program, it intends to drive awareness of the area’s architecture, historic streets and laneways, museums, restaurants and bars. A website has been launched to highlight the attractions and events the district offers.
DUAL NAMES FOR ART GALLERY OF NSWThe new Art Gallery of New South Wales building has been given the Aboriginal name Naala Badu, meaning ‘seeing waters’. At Naala Badu, visitors are first welcomed by the Yiribana Gallery devoted to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. The original Art Gallery building with its 19th-century sandstone facade facing The Domain has also received a Sydney language name, Naala Nura, meaning ‘seeing Country’.
SANTIAGO-SYDNEY ROUTE RETURNSLatam Airlines will reintroduce non-stop Santiago to Sydney flights from 28 October 2024 following the service being paused during COVID-19. The new service will include four direct flights each week from Chile to Sydney. It will enable up to 1200 passengers per week to travel the route in under 13 hours.
DESTINATION COUNTRY AND OUTBACK SUMMITDestination Country and Outback will hold a summit in Armidale on 8 May 2024. The event is designed to assist visitor economy operators to build their brand and visitors through storytelling. Destination NSW will join guest speakers including 2022 Archibald Prize Winner Blak Douglas and Sandy Rogers from Gilay Estate.
WESTERN SYDNEY TOURISM AWARDSNominations are open for the inaugural Western Sydney Tourism Awards. Hosted by South West Sydney Tourism and supported by Western Sydney Tourism NSW, the awards will honour achievements in the Western Sydney visitor economy. The winners will be announced on 24 October 2024 during a ceremony at the William Inglis Hotel.
MCA WELCOMES 20 MILLIONTH VISITORThe Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) has welcomed its 20 millionth visitor since opening its doors in 1991. The milestone was celebrated with the MCA Board, advisory groups, staff, artists, supporters and Minister for the Arts John Graham. The visitor, Sydney artist Alana Hunt, was presented with a life membership to MCA Australia.
SUSTAINABILITY WEBINARS FOR TOURISMDrawing from the new national Sustainable Tourism Toolkit, the Australian Government is hosting a free, four-part series of one-hour webinars during April and May 2024. Designed to meet the needs of small-to-medium businesses, the webinars will provide advice on implementing sustainability practices.
SYDNEY STUNT FOR THE FALL GUY PREMIEREDirector David Leitch marked the start of the global press tour for The Fall Guy in Sydney with a stunt on top of the Glebe Island Silos, the largest billboard in the Southern Hemisphere. He reunited with the Aussie team who worked on the film for the stunt. The Fall Guy releases in cinemas on 24 April 2024.
VISITOR ECONOMY WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS MUSIC AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES MUSIC FESTIVALS SURVEY: Music Australia is calling for information from festival organisers about their 2024 festivals (held, in planning or cancelled). Festival organisers are invited to contribute by 1 May 2024 and should contact comms@creative.gov.au to participate in the survey. 2024 BOWRAL CLASSIC EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS OPEN: The cycling Gran Fondo is returning to the Southern Highlands on
20 October 2024. The event is supported proudly by Destination NSW. Learn more CAPELLA SYDNEY NAMED IN TRAVEL + LEISURE’S 2024 IT LIST OF BEST NEW HOTELS: The annual list spotlights the luxury hotels, resorts and cruise ships that have made the biggest impression on the magazine's editors and contributors. Capella Sydney opened its doors in March 2023 after a seven-year restoration and renovation. Learn more
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