No Images? Click here TWEED COAST TO HOST AUSTRALIAN SURF FESTIVALThe Tweed Coast region is set to welcome some of the nation’s finest surfers, longboarders and bodyboarders when the Australian Surf Festival gets underway on 29 July. The event will see more than 450 entrants migrate to northern NSW for a shot at being crowned an Australian champion, and is one of the first major events to take place in the region following the floods. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the 18-day event promises to provide an economic boost to the region. “The Australian Surf Festival is the perfect fit for the Tweed Coast, which is one of the most spectacular surfing hot spots in Australia,” Mr Marshall said. “The NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, is proud to have secured this event for the Tweed Coast region for the next three years. The festival provides not only the chance to see some spectacular surfing, but also an opportunity for visitors to see and experience everything the region has to offer.” Visit the Australian Surf Festival website for more information and to plan your visit. Image courtesy of Destination Tweed ARSENAL FC MAKE HISTORY IN SYDNEYNSW is on show to millions of football fans around the world thanks to a visit by English Premier League football giants Arsenal FC. The two-match tour was secured exclusively for Sydney by Destination NSW and continues the Government’s record of attracting the world’s premier football teams to our State's Harbour City. More than 80,000 fans packed ANZ Stadium on Thursday night to watch the Gunners take on Sydney FC, with a second match to follow tomorrow night against the Western Sydney Wanderers. NSW Minister for Trade and Industry Niall Blair welcomed the team to Sydney on Tuesday. “It’s the first time Arsenal FC has played in Australia in 40 years and it promises to deliver a raft of benefits to NSW – we expect almost 28,000 domestic and international visitors to contribute more than $18 million to the State,” Mr Blair said. Visit arsenalinsydney.com to buy tickets to Saturday’s match. Image: From left to right; Arsene Wenger, Minister Niall Blair, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Petr Cech. RECORD-BREAKING KOALA BREEDING SEASON ON THE CENTRAL COASTVisitors to the Central Coast can catch a glimpse of the Australian Reptile Park’s first koala joey to emerge from the pouch this year. Baby Lulu is the eldest of nine new-borns and is often seen sleeping in the arms of her mother, Lillian, or riding on her mother’s back as she climbs the eucalyptus trees. The zoo has enjoyed a bumper koala breeding season, with 2017 the most successful year in the park’s history. The Australian Reptile Park is located in the natural bush setting of the NSW Central Coast, only 60 minutes from Sydney or Newcastle. Click here for more information on the zoo's attractions, and to start planning your trip to the Central Coast, go to Visitnsw.com. Image: Lulu with her mother, Lillian, courtesy Australian Reptile Park. NSW POPULAR FOR WALKING HOLIDAYSNSW is home to some of Australia’s most popular walking trails and hidden gems waiting to be explored. More than 4.3 million visitors chose to hike in NSW as part of their holiday experience in the year ending March 2017. From wetlands and granite boulders in the rugged Northern Tablelands to secluded beaches and spectacular cliffs on the South Coast, snow shoeing in Mount Kosciuszko National Park and World-Heritage-listed rainforests in the Barrington Tops, NSW offers a huge range of overnight and day hiking experiences. Click here to see Destination NSW’s round up of some of the best walks on offer. Image: Gibraltar Washpool World-Heritage-walk, Gibraltar Range National Park. Credit: R Cleary Seen, Office of Environment & Heritage SYDNEY VOTED NUMBER ONE CITY BY TRAVEL + LEISURESydney’s iconic landmarks, stunning beaches and vibrant food and wine scene have continued to resonate with travellers with the city once again voted the number one city in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific at the 22nd annual Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said, “Travel + Leisure is one of the world’s most prestigious travel and lifestyle magazines with a print circulation of more than 950,000 in the US alone, and I am delighted that they have recognised our State capital, Sydney as one of the world’s best cities once again.” Sydney also dominated the City Hotels category for the region with QT Sydney, The Langham, Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour and Park Hyatt Sydney ranked as the top four hotels respectively. Click here to read more. INBOUND STRATEGY WEBINAR SERIESNSW tourism businesses can attend a free, three-part Inbound Strategy Webinar Series in August to learn practical steps on how to become "export ready" and sell to international visitors via the travel trade. Becoming export ready is an essential requirement for any tourism business looking to sell their tour, attraction or accommodation internationally. The Inbound Strategy Webinar Series will be offered in a concise, online format – designed to suit around-the-clock tourism businesses across NSW, with daily one-hour sessions from 8 to 10 August that can be viewed live at 10am or as a recording after the event. The series follows on from the Export Ready 101 webcast delivered in March and is part of the NSW First Program run by Destination NSW. Click here to register. VISIT THE RIVERINA BY HERITAGE TRAINA new four-day trip by heritage train is being offered to the NSW Riverina region over the October long weekend. Timed to coincide with the Taste Riverina Festival, supported by Destination NSW, the adventure starts in Sydney on 29 September complete with buffet and compartment cars from the 1930s. Passengers will visit Junee, Narrandera, Corynnia Station and the Italian foodie haven of Griffith before returning to Sydney on 2 October. Visit Cruise Express for more information. ABORIGINAL TOURISM WEBCAST NOW ONLINEA recording of Destination NSW’s recent Aboriginal tourism webcast is now available to view online, along with other webcasts in the NSW First series. The session, which looked at Aboriginal tourism in NSW and how tourism businesses can respectfully incorporate Indigenous content, included guest speakers Clarence Slockee from the Barangaroo Delivery Authority and Dwayne Bannon-Harrison from Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness. Click below to view the webcast, and register for future NSW First events. TARONGA'S RHINO CALF NAMED MESITaronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo has announced the name for its 12-week-old black rhino calf – Mesi. Born in April, the calf’s birth heralded the third generation of Southern Black Rhino to join the Taronga family. Mother Kufara and Mesi will remain behind the scenes as they continue to bond and will be on exhibit for the public to see in August. To start planning your trip, and for more suggestions on things to do in Dubbo, go to Visitnsw.com. |