No Images? Click here NSW IS NUMBER ONE AGAIN!NSW has achieved its highest annual growth in the past five years for domestic visitors, nights and expenditure, according to new figures released this week by Tourism Research Australia. The State remains the number one destination for domestic visitors in the country. In the 12 months to June 2017, NSW welcomed 30.1 million domestic visitors, who stayed 97 million nights and spent $17.2 billion in the State’s visitor economy. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the latest numbers from the National Visitor Survey revealed a continuation of NSW’s strong tourism growth. “For the first time we’ve broken through the 30 million domestic overnight visitor mark and the $17 billion milestone for spend,” Mr Marshall said. “Rural and regional NSW continues to be the most visited regional area in Australia – attracting the highest number of domestic visitors who stayed the most nights in any regional area for the year.” Mr Marshall said the results reflected the NSW Government’s successful strategies to drive overnight visitation. For more on the National Visitor Survey results, go to Destination NSW. BEAUTIFUL NOW SHOWING IN SYDNEYThe highly anticipated show, Beautiful The Carole King Musical opened in Sydney this week. The Broadway hit, which stars Esther Hannaford as American singer songwriter Carole King, tells the story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the Australian premiere of Beautiful has been secured exclusively for Sydney by the NSW Government. “This stellar Australian premiere production will shine brightly in the Harbour City, and is expected to be a huge drawcard, attracting an estimated 60,000 overnight visitors to Sydney and generating $26 million for the local economy. I congratulate Michael Cassel and the entire cast and crew, and wish them every success for Beautiful.” Tickets are on sale now. SYDNEY GETS SET FOR SUMMER CRICKETNSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall has announced a two-year partnership between the NSW Government and Cricket Australia to promote key Australian men’s and women’s internationals played in NSW. “Cricket is synonymous with Australian summers, and I’m thrilled that the NSW Government has partnered with Cricket Australia to promote these key matches for our State,” Mr Marshall said. “These international series’ bring with them significant economic benefits for our State, with thousands of overnight visitors travelling to NSW to enjoy the cricket and many extending their trip, injecting millions of dollars into our visitor economy.” Tickets for the Women’s Ashes and the Men’s One Day International against England are available now. COUNTDOWN TO FFA YOUTH KICK OFFThousands of overnight visitors are expected to converge on Coffs Harbour next week, with the 2017 Football Federation Australia (FFA) National Youth Championships for Boys kicking off on Monday. Supported by the NSW Government's tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, the FFA National Youth Championships is anticipated to attract more than 2,400 overnight visitors and generate over $2 million in overnight visitor expenditure. Member for Coffs Harbour Andrew Fraser said, “Supporting a wide range of events in our region provides a boost to our local visitor economy while showcasing our spectacular beaches, national parks and local attractions. We look forward to welcoming competitors and spectators to Coffs Harbour for another fantastic few days of football.” Mr Fraser said. Find out more. NEW TOURISM VIDEOS GO LIVESome of NSW’s best food and wine, walks, countryside and fun events feature in the latest four videos in the What I Love about Holidays in NSW campaign. Created by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, the campaign invited travellers to contribute footage of their best experiences holidaying in NSW. More than 630 videos were submitted. The initiative has strongly resonated with travellers, generating 6.8 million video views, more than 166,000 visits to visitnsw.com and over 13,000 leads to industry. The four new What I Love About Holidays in NSW videos feature both Destination NSW and user-generated content and are available to view now. View the videos. NSW ON TOP FOR DININGHospitality businesses in Sydney and NSW were recognised this week at the Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering (R&CA) HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence. In the Restaurant of the Year category, gongs went to Tetsuya’s Restaurant in Sydney, and the Hunter Valley’s Esca at Bimbadgen. The Café of the Year awards went to Café Shenkin in Sydney’s Erskineville and Awaba House Restaurant & Café in Booragul on the Central Coast. The Restaurateur of the Year Award went to Kylie Kwong. Events by Aria in Sydney and H&H Catering in Wyong picked up the Caterer of the Year awards. In the Consumer Vote Awards, The Cottage in Scone, Nowra’s Kohli’s Indian, and Circular Quay’s Meat & Wine Co. were recognised. The National R&CA Awards for Excellence take place on 30 October. View the winners. ICC SECURES 1000th EVENTIn just 10 months since opening its doors, the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) has secured its 1000th event, and is on track to inject $5 billion into the NSW economy over the next 25 years. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the ICC Sydney has set a new standard for convention and exhibition venues, and cemented the city’s status as Australia’s major events and tourism capital. “More than one million visitors have already been through the ICC’s doors, and revenue is up “That’s one million people eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels and shopping in our stores. The new ICC has been a huge job creator for Sydney, pouring billions into the NSW economy.” Find out more about ICC Sydney. STAY AND PLAY AT TASTE RIVERINAIt’s now easier to enjoy the Taste Riverina Festival thanks to a collaboration between the Festival and Temora Travel, which has created self-drive travel and stay packages for each weekend of the October event. The packages include accommodation offers and entry to festival events, which include degustation dinners, Italian-inspired lunches, and wine and beer tastings. There will also be authentic bush tucker experiences, chefs cooking with regional produce, and opportunities to meet the farmers and winemakers. The 2017 Taste Riverina Festival Travel and Stay packages will include events in Barellan, Griffith, Leeton and Narrandera through to Temora and Tumbarumba, every weekend from 30 September until the end of October. Packages are available now. BLAK MARKETS RETURN |