No Images? Click here TICKETS ON SALE TODAY FOR JERSEY BOYSAn exciting Australian cast has been chosen to star in the Australian return premiere of Jersey Boys at the Capitol Theatre in September 2018 in Sydney. The musical tells the true-life story of four guys from the wrong side of the tracks who rose to stardom as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Stepping into the shoes of the charismatic singer Frankie Valli is Bernard Angel, with Cameron MacDonald as Tommy DeVito, and Thomas McGuane as Bob Gaudio. The band sold more than 175 million records and were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame for their worldwide hits, including Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Walk Like a Man, Bye Bye Baby, Sherry and Big Girls Don’t Cry. The keenly-anticipated musical is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. For more information and to buy tickets go to https://jerseyboys.com.au. NSW ON TOP IN AUSTRALIAN TRAVELLER AWARDSNSW has come out as the top State at the prestigious Australian Traveller People’s Choice Awards, taking home six gongs. The Hunter Valley won two awards for Favourite Regional Escape and Best Food and Wine Region, as did the Blue Mountains, picking up awards for Cosiest Winter Destination and Most Romantic Escape. Byron Bay’s Splendour in the Grass was awarded The Annual Festival You Love award and QT Sydney took out Best Boutique Hotel. For a full list of winners visit www.australiantraveller.com. AACTA LAUNCHES IN CONVERSATION EVENT SERIESAcclaimed Indian actors Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher are to be featured speakers in the new In Conversation Event Series launched this week by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). To be held in Sydney during AACTA ScreenWeek in December, the intimate conversation-style events will give fans the opportunity to hear from celebrated filmmakers and artists. According to NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin, “The AACTA In Conversation Event Series kicks off a stellar week of events in Sydney, culminating in the 7th AACTA Awards. It’s a fantastic time for everyone from aspiring filmmakers through to established stars to engage with and celebrate Australia’s screen industry, and to open the pathways of collaboration with the Asian film industry.” The AACTA Awards are supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Tickets are on sale now. THE LADY AND THE UNICORN TO VISIT NSWA rare masterpiece of French art and one of the greatest surviving textiles from the European Middle Ages will be on view exclusively at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from February 10 to June 24, 2018. On loan from the Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris, The Lady and the Unicorn is often referred to as the ‘Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages.’ NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Adam Marshall, said securing the exhibition is a prestigious honour for Sydney. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this masterpiece in Sydney and we anticipate thousands of overnight visitors from Australia and abroad will travel to NSW specifically to see The Lady and the Unicorn,” Mr Marshall said. The exhibition is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Click here for more information. CELEBRATING OUR FASHION ICONSTo celebrate the 10th Australian Fashion Laureate, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and IMG Fashion are presenting an exhibition featuring the accomplishments of past recipients of the industry’s highest accolade. Catalysts and Creators: The 10th Australian Fashion Laureate is on show at the Powerhouse Museum from 10 November 2017 until 11 March 2018. Past winners have included internationally renowned local designers and important icons of the Australian fashion industry. The exhibition will feature pieces from the collections of Akira Isogawa, Carla Zampatti, Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson (Easton Pearson), Colette Dinnigan, Jenny Kee, Nicky and Simone Zimmermann, and Toni Maticevski. The exhibition is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Image: Evening dress 'Spring Summer Finale 2011' made by Toni Maticevski, Melbourne, 2010. Photo by Marinco Kojdanovski. VOLLEYFEST GETS SET TO HIT MANLYMember for Manly James Griffin was joined by some of Australia’s best beach volleyballers on Tuesday to launch Volleyfest, Australia’s premier beach volleyball event. “What better place to hold a festival of beach volleyball than here at Manly Beach. The festival will provide a significant boost to local accommodation providers, businesses and tourism operators with players and fans travelling from around Australia and the world to enjoy our outstanding hospitality,” Mr Griffin said. Taking place over nine days, Volleyfest will include the NSW Open, a 2018 Commonwealth Games qualifying event, held from November 18-19, the NSW Beach Volleyball Schools Cup played from November 20-21 and the FIVB World Tour 2 Star Men’s and Women’s Competition held from November 22-26. TRIATHLON AT THE AUSTRALIAN DEAF GAMESTriathlon will make its debut as an exhibition event from January 20-27 when the 17th Australian Deaf Games are held in in Albury-Wodonga. Attracting more than 400 participants from 18 sports, the Games are a key platform for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community to compete at the highest level in Australia and to strive for selection on the Australian Deaflympic Team. Triathlon Australia has a proud history of promoting equal opportunities and inclusion, and was one of the first sports to ensure that professional female triathletes received equal pay. The sport also made its debut at the 2016 Rio Paralympics with Paratriathlon. The NSW Government is a key supporter of the Games via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. REGIONAL NSW A BIG WINNER IN GOOD FOOD GUIDE AWARDSTwenty-three restaurants throughout regional NSW have been awarded Chef’s Hats in the 2018 Good Food Guide Awards. Three restaurants scored two hats – Biota Dining in Bowral, Fleet in Brunswick Heads and Muse Restaurant in Pokolbin. Darley’s Restaurant at Echo Point has been awarded a chef’s hat for a 10th year and is the only hatted restaurant in the Blue Mountains. Sydney chef Daniel Puskas, owner-chef at Sixpenny in Sydney’s inner west, was awarded the coveted Chef of the Year award. Sydney also claimed the New Restaurant of the Year award, which went to Saint Peter in Paddington. A full list of winners is available here. GREAT MEDIA STORIES WEBCASTWhat are the media looking for? How can you keep your product newsworthy? Next week's free webcast on Great Media Stories sees a panel of media professionals sharing their tips on how to share your stories through the media. The media panel, facilitated by Destination NSW, includes Quentin Long, Publisher of the Australian Traveller & International Traveller Magazine, Jenny Forsyth, Producer Sydney Weekender and Lisa Perkovic, freelance writer and editor. The Great Media Stories webcast is at midday on October 31. Register now. This session is part of the NSW First Program, which is designed by Destination NSW to assist NSW tourism businesses to develop, promote and sell their products. SCULPTURE BY THE SEA RETURNS TO SYDNEYThe world’s largest free sculpture exhibition, Sculpture by the Sea, has made a glorious return to Sydney. Spanning two kilometres along the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, Sculpture by the Sea celebrates its 21st anniversary in 2017 and showcases more than 100 sculptures by artists from around Australia and the world until 5 November. The top prize has been won by Australian sculptor David Ball, from Mittagong in NSW, for his steel piece titled Orb. To view aerial footage of this year’s sculptures, click here.
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR NORTH AMERICA AUSTRALIA MARKETPLACE 2018Applications are now open to register for the North America Australia Marketplace taking place from 6-9 February 2018 at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Los Angeles California. Australia Marketplace will bring together over 100 buyers from North American travel companies with 100 Australian tourism products for three days of one-on-one appointments and networking opportunities. Due to capacity restrictions, registrations are limited and places will be confirmed based on the set criteria. For more information on the event and to register, click here. Registrations close Friday, 10 November 2017. FUTURE TRANSPORT 2056The Future Transport 2056 strategy released this week by Transport for NSW is open for comment or formal submission until 3 December 2017. The ground-breaking transport vision for NSW is comprised of key draft documents, including Future Transport Strategy, Greater Sydney Services and Infrastructure Plan, Regional NSW Services and Infrastructure Plan, Tourism and Transport Plan, and Road Safety. To view the plans and give feedback, go to future.transport.nsw.gov.au. WILDCARD ANNOUNCED FOR PORT STEPHENS NSW PRONSW North Coast native Zahli Kelly has been awarded a wildcard into November’s Port Stephens NSW Pro at Birubi Beach from November 2-5. The 15-year-old will surf alongside some of the best in the world, with nine World Surf League (WSL) Champions Tour surfers confirmed for the event, which is the final 2018 Champions Tour qualifying event of the year. Kelly will then head to Kiama in January for her first World Junior Championships. Both events are supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. CARAVAN AND CAMPING EXPO IN SYDNEYSydney Olympic Park is the venue for the new-look Caravan and Camping Lifestyle Expo to be held from November 3-6. The Expo features a wide range of motorhomes, campervans, caravans, slide-ons and camper-trailers as well as great value offers and fun new things to do for both kids and adults. Bring your pet along to the Doggy Rest Stop, check out the mechanical surfboard, slip down the inflatable slides or scale the climbing wall (weekends only). For more information and to buy tickets, go to caravanexpo.com. LGA VISITOR PROFILE REPORTS RELEASEDTourism Research Australia has released the 2016 Local Government Area Visitor Profile reports for all LGAs in Australia, of which 57 are in NSW. Each LGA report includes visitation and expenditure statistics for international, domestic overnight and day trip visitors to the local area, their purpose of visit, travel party, visitor origin and accommodation type used, as well as the number of local tourism businesses in 2016. Visit the Destination NSW website to download the latest NSW LGA Visitor Profile reports. ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF TOURISM TO NSWDestination NSW, in partnership with Tourism Research Australia, has released 14 new fact sheets on tourism’s economic contribution based on the 2015-16 State Tourism Satellite Accounts report for NSW. In 2015-16, the tourism industry contributed $19.1 billion to Sydney’s economy and $11.4 billion to regional NSW. Sydney accounted for 50.4% of direct tourism jobs in NSW, while tourism in regional NSW directly accounted for one in 17 local jobs. Visit the Destination NSW website to download the regional factsheets. CANCER COUNCIL NSW SEVEN BRIDGES WALKAbout 13,000 people are expected to lace up their sneakers on Sunday, 29 October for the Cancer Council NSW Seven Bridges Walk. The 28km walk covers seven of Sydney’s most iconic bridges – the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Pyrmont Bridge, ANZAC Bridge, Iron Cove Bridge, Gladesville Bridge, Tarban Creek Bridge and Fig Tree Bridge. Cancer Council NSW hopes to raise $600,000 from the event. For more information visit 7bridgeswalk.com.au. |