EVITA OPENS TO CRITICAL ACCLAIMOne of the most celebrated musicals of all time, the original West End and Broadway production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s EVITA, is now playing at the Sydney Opera House for a strictly limited season. Australian icon, singer, songwriter and musical theatre star Tina Arena plays the role of Eva Perón, with the musical featuring some of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best loved songs including ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, ‘On This Night of a Thousand Stars’, ‘You Must Love Me’ and ‘Another Suitcase in
Another Hall’. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said EVITA was secured for Sydney by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. “The NSW Government is committed to securing premiere musical productions which drive visitation to the State. During the season of EVITA more than 17,000 overnight visitors are expected to travel to Sydney to see the production, generating an estimated $14 million in overnight visitor expenditure,” Mr Marshall said. Go to evitathemusical.com.au to buy tickets. Image credit: Jeff Busby
COUNTDOWN UNTIL THE
20TH DENI UTE MUSTERThe largest festival of its kind in Australia will celebrate its 20th birthday next weekend with international superstar Carrie Underwood set to perform at the Deni Ute Muster, her only full concert appearance in Australia this year. Festival-goers will also be treated to performances from home-grown talent including Kasey Chambers, Busby Marou, Troy Cassar-Daley, Thirsty Merc, Gord Bamford, Travis Collins, Fanny Lumsden and The Pigs. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the event is proudly supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. “As one of the country’s premier regional events, the
Deni Ute Muster encapsulates the uniqueness and vibrancy of Australia’s rural culture and to have international superstar Carrie Underwood perform exclusively in regional NSW, is a major coup,” Mr Marshall said. In addition to music, the event will also feature free children’s activities, carnival rides, ute driving competitions and much more. General Admission tickets are on sale here.
PRO SURFING EVENT FOR PORT STEPHENSProfessional surfing is heading to Port Stephens later this year with the return of the Port Stephens Toyota Pro at Birubi Beach from 8 – 13 November. The elite World Surf League Qualifying Series competitions will comprise of Women’s 6,000 and Men’s 1,000 rated divisions. Surfing New South Wales CEO Luke Madden said the region has proven itself as a world-class location to showcase the world’s best female surfers in action. “Last year we saw some amazing performances with nearly half of the
Women’s Championship Tour competing in Port Stephens. The aim of the Port Stephens Toyota Pro is to give some of the world’s best female surfers the opportunity to finish their year with a bang and hopefully a few will get a springboard onto the Championship Tour,” Mr Madden said. The 2018 Port Stephens Toyota Pro is proudly supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. For more information on the event, visit worldsurfleague.com.
ALBURY TO WELCOME ITS FIRST LUXURY BOUTIQUE HOTELAlbury will open its first, five-star boutique hotel thanks to a $150,000 grant from the NSW Government’s Regional Tourism Fund, aimed at boosting regional economies across the State. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall was joined by Member for Albury Greg Aplin in Corowa to make the announcement. “I am delighted to announce that Albury will be getting a brand new, five-star boutique hotel, CIRCA 1928, offering a luxurious day spa, tea lounge and retail area and providing the ultimate high-end accommodation experience for
visitors,” Mr Marshall said. The hotel development will convert one of Albury’s 1928 Art Deco bank buildings, retaining the building’s unique design. The Regional Tourism Fund is part of the Government’s record tourism funding commitment of $43 million over four years. The Fund is managed by the State’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW and provides investment into the regional visitor economy on a matched dollar-for-dollar basis. CIRCA 1928 is due to open later this year.
SYDNEY CARAVAN AND CAMPING LIFESTYLE EXPO NOW ONThe Sydney Caravan and Camping Lifestyle Expo is now on at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, showing how you can make the most out of your next great outdoor adventure. Until Sunday, the Expo will present the latest range of caravans, motorhomes, camper trailers, camping gear, boats, fishing, 4WD’s plus more, all in the one location. Visitors can chat to experts, stock up on camping and caravanning holiday accessories and seek advice and inspiration on where to head to on their next road trip adventure. This weekend, Destination NSW will have a stand featuring a number of iMac computers where travellers can browse the dedicated VisitNSW Road Trips webpages and transfer their favourite road trips onto their mobile device using unique QR codes. The Expo will also include a camp kitchen to relax in with a bar featuring local brewers and Aussie TV Presenter, Fast Ed will be showing the exciting tastes of NSW with live cooking demonstrations. Visit www.caravanexpo.com for more information.
JERRY SCHWARTZ’S NEWEST HOTEL TO MAKE HAY FOR FARMERSDr Jerry Schwartz has pledged to support Australia’s farmers by donating the profits from his first night as owner of the new Four Points by Sheraton at Sydney’s Central Park. Up to $15,000 is expected to be raised for the Aussie Helpers organisation, which has been helping Australian farmers since 2002. The Four Points by Sheraton is the only international hotel to open in Sydney in 2018. The hotel is located on Broadway in the new Central Park urban regeneration area
adjacent to Central Station and the University of Technology campus.
REGIONAL HOTEL OF THE YEAR IN AUSTINMER BEACHHeadlands Hotel Austinmer Beach has won ‘Hotel Of The Year – Regional’ at this week’s 2018 Australian Hotels Association - National Awards for Excellence. Headlands Hotel was acknowledged by the industry for their hard work in bringing the magnificent property to life. The stylish coastal property has 60 luxury apartments and a dedicated team of experienced staff. Set on the edge of a headland, this property has put the South Coast firmly on the map. To book your
stay, click here.
WINNERS OF NSW 2018 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE ANNOUNCEDThe 2018 New South Wales Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence were announced this week at a gala dinner at Luna Park. Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Juliana Payne congratulated the individuals and businesses recognised, and praised their contribution to the NSW hospitality industry. “It’s fantastic to see the enormous passion of all business-owners as well as their staff whose daily hard work and dedication goes into
producing an unforgettable culinary experience,” she said. Click here for the winners list.
2018 NSW WINE AWARDS GOLD MEDAL WINNERS REVEALEDThe finalists of the 2018 NSW Wine Awards were revealed this week. The judging process, which saw 16 judges from across Australia taste a record number of nearly 900 wines has unveiled 402 medal winning wines, 51 of which are Gold. The 51 Gold Medal finalists will move on to the next stage, where the top 2018 Trophy winners will be announced at the 23rd annual NSW Wine Awards Presentation at Government House Sydney on 19 October. To view the preliminary medal results, click here.
NEW SCENIC CABLEWAY NOW OPENEDScenic World has opened the doors to the new Scenic Cableway this week following a $4 million upgrade. The new Cableway features a more spacious cabin and larger windows to improve viewing of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains. The re-configured cabin also allows for streamlined loading and features free wi-fi for the first time in response to continued demand from international visitors wanting to share their experience in real time. For more details,
click here.
SAVE THE DATE FOR AUSTRALIA MARKETPLACE USA 2019Australia’s State and Territory Organisations in partnership with Tourism Australia will again host the 2019 North American Australia Marketplace in Los Angeles from 26 – 29 August, 2019. The event will bring together more than 100 buyers from North American travel companies with 100 Australian tourism products for three days of one-on-one appointments and networking opportunities. Applications will open in early 2019. For more information on save the date, click here.
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