No Images? Click here NSW TO BANK BILLIONS WITH 2030 TOURISM TARGETIn a bid to triple overnight visitor spending by 2030 the NSW Government has launched an ambitious State tourism target and new Visitor Economy Industry Action Plan. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the NSW Government would work with industry to aggressively pursue a new target of $55 billion in overnight visitor expenditure for the State by 2030. “A new ambitious 2030 tourism target is part of the NSW Government’s focused effort to grow NSW’s position as Australia’s leading destination,” Mr Marshall said. “International visitor markets like China and India represent significant growth opportunities for Sydney and rural and regional NSW, which is why we’re working on campaigns and strategies to fly more tourists to the State.” “We want to make tourism an engine industry for rural and regional NSW - that’s why we’ve also, for the first time ever, created a regional NSW target of $20 billion by 2020 and $25 billion by 2030.” The Visitor Economy Industry Action Plan 2030 is available at www.industry.nsw.gov.au/veiap. WAGGA WAGGA TO HOST NRL PREMIERSHIP MATCHWagga Wagga will host an NRL Premiership match in 2019, as part of the NSW Government’s commitment to boost the number of jobs in regional NSW. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the Canberra Raiders home match would be hosted in Wagga Wagga as part of a major NRL package for regional NSW. “Regional NSW has both the sporting facilities and the tourism and hospitality facilities required to host major sporting events and I am delighted that we’ve partnered with the NRL to put local communities in the spotlight,” Mr Marshall said. “What’s more, with the effects of drought putting pressure on our rural and regional economies and small business owners, there’s never been a better time to spruik and support visitation in our regions.” Image: L-R – Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Greg Conkey, Liberal Candidate for Wagga Wagga Julia Ham, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Canberra Raiders Captain Jarrod Croker, Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall, Canberra Raiders CEO Don Furner. AUSSIE SPECIALIST AGENTS VISIT NSWDestination NSW will host Aussie Specialist agents in regional NSW from today as part of Tourism Australia’s biennial travel trade event, Corroboree Asia. The event aims to educate and train frontline travel sellers across Asia on the many tourism products Australia has to offer, including ‘NSW-only’ experiences. NSW will play host to 60 agents from key eastern markets including China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia, which is the largest number of Aussie Specialist agents NSW has ever hosted as part of the Corroboree Asia familiarisation program. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said, “We look forward to welcoming more visitors to regional NSW as a result of this visit which has been organised by the NSW Government in collaboration with Tourism Australia.” The 60 Aussie Specialist agents will be split into five groups and will experience Sydney, Hunter Valley, Wollongong, Kiama, Jervis Bay, Bowral, Berrima, Merimbula, Narooma, Batemans Bay, Port Stephens, the Tweed, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Oberon, Blue Mountains and Byron Bay. USAIN BOLT IN ACTION AS THE MARINERS FACE CENTRAL COAST SELECTAll eyes will be on regional NSW tonight as sprint legend Usain Bolt makes his Central Coast Mariners debut in Gosford. The eight-time-Olympian-turned-professional-footballer will play on the left wing in a friendly match against Central Coast Select for an A-League pre-season fixture. Usain’s appearance is anticipated to draw a crowd of more than 10,000 spectators and has attracted worldwide media attention, shining a spotlight on the Central Coast. Tonight’s game will take place at Central Coast Stadium and kick off at 7:30pm. Visit the Central Coast Mariners for more information, and for more to see and do on the NSW Central Coast, go to Visitnsw.com. Image: Bolt training ahead of the Central Coast Mariners pre-season trial. Photo credit: Glenn Pokorny (c). DUBBO TO HOST WOMEN'S NSW OPEN GOLFDubbo will welcome more than 100 of Australia’s and the world’s top female golfers in 2020 when it hosts the Women’s NSW Open at Dubbo Golf Club. NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the Women’s NSW Open is the perfect event to showcase the best of Dubbo and regional NSW to the world. “Major sporting events such as this play a huge role in boosting tourism in regional towns and the people of Dubbo will do an excellent job hosting players, officials and supporters from around the country and the world in 2020,” Mr Barilaro said. The event was secured by the NSW Government in a five-year agreement with Golf NSW that will ensure the event remains in regional NSW until at least 2022. The 2019 event will be held at Queanbeyan Golf Club from 7-10 March, with the dates for the 2020 event in Dubbo to be announced at a later date. NEW REPORT ON ROAD TRIPPERS TO NSWDestination NSW has released new visitor profile snapshot on road trippers to NSW. In the year ended December 2017, NSW received nearly 2.1 million international and domestic overnight road trippers who spent an estimated $3.9 billion in the State, up 16.5 per cent on the year prior. Australian residents made up over three quarters of these visitors. The United Kingdom was the largest source market of international road trippers to NSW (15 per cent), followed by China (11 per cent) and the USA (10.5 per cent). Nearly a third of domestic road trippers to NSW came from regional NSW (30 per cent), followed by Sydney (24 per cent) and Victoria (22 per cent). Top regions visited in NSW by domestic and international road trippers included the North Coast, Sydney and South Coast. Visit the Destination NSW website to download the report. WESTERN SYDNEY'S FUTURE HOME OF SPORT TAKES SHAPEThe new Western Sydney Stadium is taking shape with major construction over 70 per cent complete and installation of 30,000 seats and scoreboards to start soon. NSW Minister for Western Sydney and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres recently joined Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee to tour the rapidly developing stadium, which is already injecting millions into the Western Sydney economy. “Western Sydney Stadium is on track to open within months – a new home to showcase our finest home grown and international sporting and international entertainment acts right here in Parramatta,” Mr Ayres said. “The NSW Government is delivering major infrastructure which sets communities up for decades. Western Sydney Stadium is part of a multibillion dollar infrastructure spend on schools, hospitals, public transport, roads and cultural facilities.” Find out more at Infrastructure NSW. POP-UP GLAMPING AT |