NSW ACCOMMODATION AND HOSPITALITY
CELEBRATED AT AWARDS NIGHTVisitor economy success stories were celebrated at the NSW Accommodation Awards for Excellence at the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney on 18 July 2024. Destination NSW proudly sponsored two major awards: Regional Superior Hotel of the Year, which was won by Rydges Resort Hunter Valley and Regional Deluxe Hotel of the Year, which was won by Spicers Sangoma Retreat in the Blue Mountains. Among other accolades announced on the night were Metropolitan Superior Hotel of the Year, won by Hilton Sydney and Metropolitan Deluxe Hotel of the Year, won by Capella Sydney. Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said: “Accommodation is a crucial sector of the visitor economy,
providing visitors with a home away from home. NSW wouldn’t have a $50 billion visitor economy without the efforts of the sector, particularly those who received awards. “All the winners are demonstrating the excellence that enables continued growth, and I congratulate them on behalf of the NSW Government.” Learn more here
CELEBRATING RESTAURANT AND CATERING EXCELLENCE The finalists of the 2024 NSW Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence have been announced, with Destination NSW proudly sponsoring two awards: Sydney Tourism Restaurant of the Year and Regional NSW Tourism Restaurant of the Year. Sydney Tourism Restaurant of the Year finalists are Luna Lu in The Rocks, Me-Gal at Taronga Zoo and SkyFeast at Sydney Tower. Regional NSW Tourism Restaurant of the Year finalists are 8 at Trinity in Morriset Park, Beleaf Table in Nowra, Morrisons Winery & Restaurant in Moama, Potager in Carool,
Restaurant Cuvee - Peterson House in Pokolbin, Sapphire Indian Restaurant in Merewether, The Old Saltbush Restaurant & Catering in Broken Hill and Vines Restaurant at Hollydene in Jerrys Plains. Winners will be announced on 26 August 2024 at a gala dinner at Doltone House in Pyrmont.
VIVID SYDNEY FEEDS THOSE IN NEEDVivid Sydney’s Food program recently collaborated with OzHarvest and renowned chefs including Christine Manfield, Darren Robertson, Guillaume Brahimi, Mitch Orr and Peter Gilmore to help serve 2000 meals to those in need. The Southern Hemisphere's largest festival of Light, Music, Ideas and Food took place from 24 May to 15 June. This year's theme, ‘Humanity,’ extended beyond light displays and music performances to encompass a social responsibility initiative – the Our Shared Humanity series.
Our Shared Humanity showcased Sydney's vibrant culinary scene while fostering a spirit of compassion. A series of dinners were held at Refettorio OzHarvest, featuring renowned chefs creating unique three-course vegetarian menus using rescued NSW produce. Our Shared Humanity welcomed more than 350 paying guests. Revenue generated from these events funded the preparation and service of nourishing three-course meals for Sydney's vulnerable communities through OzHarvest's lunch services. Refettorio OzHarvest Head Chef Jez Wick said: “Collaborating and working with these guest chefs highlighted our deep purpose of supporting the community and showcased our meaningful work through this series of fundraising
events.”
NSW TO HOST AGRITOURISM SUMMITExpertise Events will hold an Agritourism Summit on 29 August 2024 at Peppers Manor House, Bowral. Destination NSW helped secure the event for the Southern Highlands via the Business Events NSW program. It will be held in conjunction with the AgriShow, a dedicated farm field day running at Moss Vale Showground on 30-31 August. Conference registrations include free access to the AgriShow. The event is expected to generate more than 200 visitor nights and $70,000 in direct expenditure for the region. Program
highlights will include keynote presentations where industry leaders will share their personal journeys and strategies for success in the agritourism sector. Panel sessions will delve into current trends, challenges and opportunities in agritourism and provide practical tools and techniques for business growth and innovation. CSIRO analysis estimates the annual opportunity for agritourism in Australia will reach around $18.6 billion by 2030, with international visitor demand expected to drive much of this growth. In the year ending March 2024, domestic overnight visitors to NSW who had a food experience or visited a winery spent, on average, $1272 and $1317 per person, respectively. This compares to the average domestic overnight visitor spend of $830 per trip. Destination NSW provides
practical insights for businesses seeking to develop agritourism experiences via the NSW First program.
FREE WEBINARS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESSDestination NSW's Choose Tourism NSW Program is inviting visitor economy operators to a series of free online workshops to learn the latest techniques for attracting and retaining quality staff. Upcoming sessions will be held on 7 August and 21 August.
AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PARK CELEBRATIONThis week the Australian Reptile Park celebrated winning Gold in the ‘Major Tourist Attraction’ category at the Australian Tourism Awards earlier this year. An event was held to celebrate the win at the park which welcomes more than 250,000 visitors a year.
NSW SHORT-TERM VISITOR NUMBERS UP IN MAYNew Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows there were 224,370 short-term visitor arrivals to NSW in May 2024, an increase of 34,960 compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. The three leading source countries for visitors were New Zealand (35,630 trips), China (28,440) and the United States (21,780).
MUNDI MUNDI BASH ROAD FUNDINGThe NSW Government has announced more than $1.8 million in funding for a section of the access road to the Mundi Mundi Bash to be sealed in time for the 2025 festival. Access to the festival over the 2.5km dirt stretch of Wilangee Road in Broken Hill has historically caused dust issues and been a hazard for drivers travelling to the event.
VISITOR ECONOMY MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTThe Raising the Bar Foundation has received $250,000 from the NSW Government to design and deliver a mental health training program called the Barstool Project. The program will aim to reach 10,000 visitor economy workers across the state and improve education and awareness of mental health issues in the industry.
SYDNEY HOTELS RECEIVE TOP RANKINGSTravel+Leisure readers rated three Sydney hotels in their Australia and New Zealand top five for 2024. The Four Seasons Sydney was ranked first, Capella Sydney in third position and Ace Hotel Sydney fifth. Meanwhile, the Manly Pacific has been listed by architecture and design committee Prix Versailles as one of the best hotels in the world.
FUTURE OF WESTERN SYDNEY EVENTPremier Chris Minns will give the keynote address at Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce’s ‘Navigating the Future of Western Sydney Tourism’ event on 2 August 2024. Mr Minns will provide insights on the future of the visitor economy in the region ahead of Western Sydney International Airport opening.
WESTERN SYDNEY VISITOR GROWTHNew Tourism Research Australia data shows Western Sydney accounted for more than 20 per cent of domestic overnight visitors to Sydney in the year to March 2024. A total of 2.3 million
domestic overnight visitors (up 5.5 per cent on the previous year) spent $1.5 billion (up 34 per cent).
NIGHT SKY RECOGNITION FOR PALM BEACHPalm Beach Headland in Sydney's Northern Beaches has been officially designated as the first Urban Night Sky Place in Australia by DarkSky International. The designation demonstrates how good quality lighting and design can reduce the impacts of artificial light on the natural nighttime environment and create opportunities for better viewing of the night sky.
EDUCATION TECH EXPO RETURNING TO SYDNEYSydney will host the EduTECH Congress and Expo from 2025-2027, which is expected to generate an estimated $24 million in direct expenditure for the NSW economy over the next three years. It will bring together more than 10,000 academics, training providers and innovators to share insights and technologies that are changing the way people teach and learn.
VISITOR ECONOMY WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTSSXSW SYDNEY UNVEILS NEW ADDITIONS TO ITS MUSIC TRACK & MUSIC FESTIVAL: More than 30 artists have been added to the festival line-up, while Global Head of Touring at WME (UK), Lucy Dickins joins Frontier Touring’s Susan Heymann for an 'In Conversation' event. Destination NSW is a proud partner of SXSW Sydney. Learn more WESTERN SYDNEY HARBOUR TUNNEL MILESTONE REACHED: Work on the main roadway has now progressed under the Warringah Freeway for the new tunnel, which will shave 20 minutes off journeys between North Sydney and Sydney Olympic Park when completed. Learn more REVIEW OF BIODIVERSITY AND NATIVE VEGETATION LAWS: The NSW Government has signalled a shift in the way the state fulfills its responsibilities to protect the environment and manage native vegetation. Learn more
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