Insights - 19 June 2026
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KEY FACTORS DRIVING TOURISM GROWTH
Tourism Research Australia (TRA) has released its annual Benchmark Report, which shows strong momentum in the Australian visitor economy during 2025.
Total visitor spending reached $192.4 billion, up 6.5 per cent year-on-year.
Highlights included:
- International visitors to Australia stayed longer and spent more than previous years
- Domestic day trips were a major contributor to tourism growth
- Nearly half of domestic overnight visitor spending occurred in regional Australia.
TRA said key factors driving tourism growth in 2026 would include the opening of Western Sydney International Airport, increased aviation capacity from the Asia-Pacific and investment in hotels and accommodation.
TRA will host a Benchmark Report webinar on 22 June 2026.
QANTAS TO LAUNCH NON-STOP LONDON-SYDNEY
ROUTE NEXT YEAR
Qantas will commence non-stop services between London and Sydney in October 2027.
The new flights will cut up to four hours off travel time compared to current one-stop services, with seats going on sale in February 2027.
The United Kingdom was the fourth largest visitor market for NSW in the year ending December 2025. There were 379,100 UK visitors during the period (up 16.8 per cent year-on-year), who stayed 9.5 million nights (up 28.8 per cent) and spent $1 billion during their trips (up 27.8 per cent).
VIVID SYDNEY 2027 DATES ANNOUNCED
Vivid Sydney 2027 will take place from Friday 28 May to Saturday 19 June, with Expressions of Interest (EOIs) now open for one of the world’s leading multi-artform festivals.
The opening of EOIs follows another successful year for the festival, with Vivid Sydney 2026 delivering a strong program across the city, featuring 217 events and more than 2200 sessions across 89 locations.
The Vivid Sydney EOI process invites submissions from artists, designers and creative industry professionals, as well as architects, engineers, promoters, restaurants, event companies, chefs, producers and educational institutions. Submissions are sought for innovative ideas, concepts and collaborations for inclusion in the 2027 program.
EOIs for Light will close on 27 July 2026 with Music, Minds and Food closing on 25 September 2026.
VIVID SYDNEY LEAVES FOODIES GLOWING
Vivid Sydney took a revitalised and refreshed approach to its programming in 2026, including a bumper year for its Food pillar – the event’s biggest yet. In its new location at Barangaroo Reserve, the Vivid Fire Kitchen was the unofficial festival hub, where more than 250,000 dishes and drinks were purchased.
GLOBAL ACCOLADE FOR BROKENWOOD WINES
The Hunter Valley’s Brokenwood Wines won a Best in Show trophy at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) for its ILR Reserve Semillon 2019. Orange also celebrated its first-ever Platinum medal, for Printhie's Swift Blanc de Blancs Brut 2011. Printhie also received a Gold medal for its Swift Rosé Brut 2017.
SUPERCROSS FINAL FOR NEWCASTLE
McDonald Jones Stadium has been confirmed as the host venue for the 2026 AUSX Supercross Championship Grand Final on 28 November. Proudly supported by Destination NSW, the event will attract elite Australian and international athletes, teams and fans from across Australia and New Zealand.
MIDDLE EAST IMPACT ON JET FUEL
The latest ACCC Domestic Airline Competition report has found Australia’s domestic airlines responded to higher jet fuel prices by increasing airfares and reducing seat capacity on some routes. Jet fuel prices were more than 40 per cent higher in early June 2026 compared to mid-February 2026.
NEW OWNER FOR RAGING WATERS
Jamberoo Action Park has acquired Western Sydney theme park Raging Waters, rebranding it as Sydney Action Park. Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce Chair Fazila Farhad said the announcement was a major step forward in positioning Western Sydney as a hub for adventure tourism.
QUARTERLY TOURISM LABOUR STATISTICS
New Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows there were 726,800 tourism jobs in Australia during the March quarter 2026. This was 1.1 per cent fewer jobs than December quarter 2025, but 4.2 per cent more jobs year-on-year. Jobs in the accommodation sector rose by 1.9 per cent.
VISITOR ECONOMY WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
LAST DAY FOR NSW TOURISM AWARDS NOMINATIONS: Tourism businesses have until 5pm, 19 June 2026, to submit their nominations. Learn more
$1 MILLION FOR MULTICULTURAL EVENTS ACROSS NSW: The NSW Government has invited community organisations to apply for their share of the Stronger Together Festival and Event Grants Program. Learn more
PENRITH STADIUM MILESTONE: The new structure has reached its full height, with the project on track to open for the 2027 NRL season. Learn more
FUNDING TO REINVIGORATE NEWCASTLE PORT PRECINCT: Paymasters Cafe is among seven projects sharing $1 million through the NSW Government’s Newcastle Port Community Contributions Fund. Learn more
APEX BEST AWARD WINNERS: Virgin Australia has been awarded Best Seat Comfort (South Pacific) at the 2026 APEX Best Awards, while Qantas received Best Entertainment and Best Wi-Fi (South Pacific). Learn more
HOSPITALITY AND TRAVEL SPENDING RISES: New NAB data shows discretionary spending on travel and hospitality increased in May 2026. Learn more
AUSTRALIA'S TOP-RANKED UNIVERSITY: UNSW Sydney has toppled University of Melbourne for the first time as Australia's best university in a global survey. Learn more
FOLLOW DESTINATION NSW ON LINKEDIN: Stay up to date with all the latest Destination NSW initiatives by following us on LinkedIn. Click here
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