No Images? Click here NSW WINE REGIONS SHOWCASED TO AUSTRALIAThe State’s 14 distinctive wine regions will be shared with travel enthusiasts across the country through a new 128-page coffee table book which was launched this week by the NSW Government. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the NSW Government was delighted to launch the new publication of New South Wales Wine Country. “When it comes to wine, NSW is spoilt for choice and this book provides added inspiration to explore the many wine regions on offer across the State with information on the wine terroir, local produce, food festivals and events, attractions, maps and details on how to get there,” Mr Marshall said. “Research shows that NSW is perfectly positioned to welcome wine visitors from across the country and the world. In the year ending June 2018, NSW welcomed almost six million food and wine visitors to NSW who spent $9.2 billion in the State. “We are dedicated to supporting this vitally important industry and committed to working with tourism operators to ensure our great State is known for offering some of the world’s most vibrant, diverse and welcoming food and wine experiences.” The New South Wales Wine Country book was produced by Destination NSW with input from the NSW Wine Industry Association. The New South Wales Wine Country book can be purchased for $20 (incl. GST and postage) via https://www.visitnsw.com/winebook. Image caption: Deputy Speaker in the NSW Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Tourism The Hon Thomas George MP with Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall MP. NSW REGIONAL CONFERENCING STRATEGY DRIVES BUSINESS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIESThe NSW Government’s regional conferencing strategy is paying huge dividends, driving more business events and visitors to rural and regional NSW than ever before, Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall announced today. Since the inception of the strategy in August 2017, Mr Marshall said the government had invested around $1 million, securing more than 60 business events for rural and regional NSW. “We’ve welcomed almost 17,000 delegates for these events to communities like Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Bungendore, Cowra, Dorrigo, Dubbo and more,” Mr Marshall said. “These conferences run anywhere from two days to a week so they’re a smart way to drive business visitors to rural and regional destinations and fill up hotels. “That means more dollars being spent in local communities, people eating out at restaurants, keeping local people in local jobs and driving the local economy. “Our investment in this sector is so important because we know that overnight business visitors spend, on average, $237 per night in NSW – nearly double those of overnight leisure visitors. They are also more likely to return for a future holiday with family or friends.” Mr Marshall said that due to an overwhelming response from industry, the government had opened a new grants program to support regional business events. “We have opened a $500,000 NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund to drive even more business event visitors into rural and regional NSW, turbocharging local economies and creating jobs,” Mr Marshall said. For more information on the NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund, go to meetinnsw.com.au/business-event-development-fund NSW TOURISM INDUSTRY TO DOMINATE IN CHINAA delegation of 27 NSW businesses converged in China this month to promote Sydney and regional NSW’s tourism offerings to more than 200 travel trade representatives in the city of Xi’an. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the Greater China Roadshow was the NSW Government’s biggest travel trade contingency to date. “Not only is this our largest China delegation, it’s the first time we have held the Greater China Roadshow in Xi’an. As the capital of Shaanxi Province with a population of more than 12 million people, this is a hugely important growth opportunity for NSW,” Mr Marshall said. Mr Marshall said with Hainan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines now operating direct flights from Xi’an, it was fantastic to have the spotlight on NSW to showcase the State’s vast array of products and experiences to key Chinese travel buyers. “Increasing capacity into NSW through direct airline services is part of the NSW Government’s deliberate strategy to boost visitation into our beautiful Harbour City and encourage dispersal into rural and regional communities, helping to turbocharge local economies and create jobs,” Mr Marshall said. The Greater China Roadshow consisted of meetings and networking events. DISCOVER YOUR STAR WARS IDENTITY THIS SUMMERThe Australian premiere exhibition of Star Wars Identities, secured exclusively for Sydney by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, in partnership with the Museum of Arts and Applied Sciences (MAAS), has opened at the Powerhouse Museum. The experience invites guests to answer interactive questions to create their own Star Wars inspired character and leads them on a unique identity quest utilising neuropsychology, psychology and biochemistry along with over 200 original artefacts, costumes and props from the Lucasfilm archives. MAAS Director of Curatorial, Collections and Exhibitions, Peter Denham said the exhibition is an opportunity to delve beyond the films and memorabilia. “STAR WARS Identities will offer families an opportunity to share their love of the film series with a new generation of fans through a fun, interactive exhibition experience. MAAS is looking forward to welcoming audiences to an exhibition that celebrates one of our core focuses - the intersection of imagination and technology - through the iconic popular culture phenomenon of Star Wars,” Mr Denham said. The Exhibition runs until 10 June 2019. Tickets available at www.ticketek.com.au DNSW RECEIVES TOP GONG FOR COLLABORATIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNSDestination NSW’s collaborative marketing efforts with Qantas and Singapore Airlines have been recognised in Asia this week with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards being claimed for two campaigns. The ‘Qantas Sydneyporeans’ campaign took out two Golds and one Silver at the 2018 Marketing Excellence Awards in Singapore, while the ‘Singapore Airlines Memories in Sydney’ campaign won Bronze at the 9th Asian Digital Media Awards in Hong Kong. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said, “Our collaborative marketing campaigns with Qantas and Singapore Airlines injected a combined $2.4 million into the NSW visitor economy, so to see the initiative recognised internationally is a fantastic achievement.” The 2018 Marketing Excellence Awards saw record participation with more than 630 entries received while the 9th Asian Digital Media Awards saw 157 entries from 27 media companies across 10 countries. OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEW |