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NSW TO REOPEN VICTORIAN BORDER
NSW continues to lead the country’s road to economic recovery, with the NSW Government announcing it will reopen the border to Victoria on Monday 23 November.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the reopening date should give people the confidence to make plans, book holidays and reunite with family members in the lead up to Christmas.
“I want to thank the community, particularly in our border towns, for their patience during what has been an extremely difficult time,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We have worked closely with the Victorian Government throughout the border closure and will continue to monitor the situation as restrictions are eased.
“Our policy in NSW is to keep moving forward and operating in a COVID-safe manner – the reopening of the NSW/Victorian border is another step in the right direction.”
Tourism & Transport Forum Australia (TTF) CEO Margy Osmond said that NSW opening to Victoria was a huge step forward to a more normal world.
“TTF gives a huge COVID-safe elbow handshake to both NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and the NSW and Victorian Governments for removing this border well before Christmas,” Ms Osmond said.
“We must keep managing the risk rather than the emergency of this virus and ensure the safety of the community while also preventing any further tourism jobs and business closures and allow a COVD-safe rebooting of the economy.”
GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS KICKS OFF
The first of more than 1000 COVID-safe gigs for Great Southern Nights kicked off last night with legendary Australian band, Hoodoo Gurus, performing at the Entertainment Quarter Sydney.
Over 200 live gigs spanning all music genres are scheduled for the opening weekend, helping to reboot the state’s entertainment, hospitality and tourism industries.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said tens of thousands of music-lovers would be kick-starting the NSW economy by supporting gigs in the coming weeks.
“There has been overwhelming support for Great Southern Nights from artists, venues, industry and fans, so November is shaping up to be a huge celebration of Australian music in every corner of NSW,” Mr Ayres said.
“Half our feature artist gigs have sold out, but there is still plenty of opportunity to see outstanding live music from some of Australia’s most-loved and up-and-coming artists.
“I encourage everyone to check the gig guide and enjoy a COVID-safe night out in Sydney or the regions, to show support for musicians, roadies and businesses across NSW. Let's get this show on the road!”
Lime Cordiale, Jaguar Jonze and Wendy Matthews also take to the stage this weekend, while Birds of Tokyo, Jessica Mauboy, Jimmy Barnes, The Screaming Jets and Vera Blue are among the more than 2,500 artists in the program.
Great Southern Nights is a NSW Government initiative delivered by Destination NSW in partnership with ARIA. To see the full gig guide, go to www.greatsouthernnights.com.au.
Image: Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres and ARIA CEO Dan Rosen
BUSINESS EVENTS SYDNEY LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) has launched a new campaign, which aims to keep Sydney front and centre by ensuring NSW is the destination of choice when planning future business meetings, conferences and exhibitions.
The campaign titled ‘It’s got to be Sydney’ complements the state’s broader tourism strategy and the NSW Government’s focus on safely reopening and restarting sectors fundamental to boosting the economy, including the 24-Hour Economy Strategy.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said COVID-19 hit the business events sector early and hard, and that now is the time for businesses to begin planning their meetings and events for next year, as the government continues to ease restrictions across a range of venue categories.
“Business events are a key contributor to the state’s economy through direct expenditure by visitors and the potential for trade deals, investment, talent attraction and social impact,” Mr Ayres said.
"This campaign is a key initiative to highlight all that Sydney has to offer the business visitor across its unique combination of culture, creativity and commercial strengths and it will build awareness about the opportunities for businesses to meet in our city and state.”
BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said: “In our work securing Sydney hosting rights for global conferences and incentives over the past 50 years, BESydney has been at the forefront of promoting, protecting and growing our city’s reputation as Australia’s premier destination for business visitors.”
For more information, visit www.meetinsydney.com.au.
GRANTS TO REVITALISE SYDNEY CBD
More alfresco dining, roving performances, chairs in squares and people meeting with friends and family at cafes and restaurants are all part of the vision of the NSW Government and City of Sydney’s partnership aimed at revitalising the Sydney CBD this summer.
The jointly funded $3 million program will support delivery of CBD activation grants of between $5,000 and $50,000 to businesses, creatives and community groups to encourage people back into the city centre.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said signing the funding agreement was part of the NSW Government’s COVID Recovery Plan and an important milestone.
“This funding will turn ideas to action and encourage people into the CBD in a COVID-safe way, which is key for businesses who rely on summer trading for a big part of their revenue,” Mr Perrottet said.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said as more people returned to the city, businesses could continue to open their doors and support more jobs.
“We have partnered with City of Sydney to revitalise Australia’s jewel in the crown and we are committed to make sure our great city continues to shine,” Mr Ayres said.
“The CBD activation grants will support partnerships between retailers, cafes and restaurants with musicians, performers and artists, with the aim to attract and entertain visitors, and to revitalise spaces that have been underused since the pandemic began.”
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the new round of grants will help bring people back to the city.
"We need to allow and encourage businesses to operate outdoors, and we need to support our creative and cultural life to activate and draw people back to our city, safely,” Ms Moore said.
Grants are opened to businesses until 7 December 2020. To apply, click here.
QANTAS AND JETSTAR ADD FLIGHTS BETWEEN NSW AND VICTORIA
More Victorians are expected to land on NSW soil with Qantas and Jetstar announcing it will operate thousands of flights between the two states this summer.
Following the NSW Government’s decision to open its borders, Qantas and Jetstar will operate more than 250 flights per week across five routes, offering travellers 48,000 seats between NSW and Victoria from 23 November. Both carriers will look to add more flights if there is sufficient demand.
Qantas Domestic & International CEO Andrew David said: “This is fantastic news. We’ve added thousands more flights back into our schedule today which will see Melbourne-Sydney once again become the busiest air route in Australia.
“November 23 will be a day many people will now be looking forward to. It’s exciting for the family and friends who can finally be reunited after months apart. It’s also great for businesses, and great for getting more of our planes in the air and more of our people back to work.
“When you consider the social and economic impact of border closures, we’ve always said things should open up as soon as it’s safe to do so. NSW has led the way in taking a sensible, risk-based approach to borders that’s supported by what is probably one of the best contact tracing programs in the world.”
EXHIBITIONS RETURN TO ICC SYDNEY
Exhibitions are set to return to the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) following advice from NSW Health that ICC Sydney can proceed with public exhibitions, subject to one person per 4 square metres of space and no capacity limit.
ICC Sydney CEO Geoff Donaghy said the exhibition industry played a fundamental role in the venue's success.
“The exhibition market accounts for approximately one quarter of our turnover, which in a typical year can be up to 70 events, so this updated advice from NSW Health is a significant step forward for the business events industry following the impact of COVID-19,” Mr Donaghy said.
Committee for Sydney CEO Gabriel Metcalf said: “This is very welcome news for Sydney and our tourism and events sector which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Attracting investment through trade events and exhibitions keeps people in jobs and is a key driver to our economic recovery.”
ICC Sydney is open and currently running a range of in person events at the venue, as well as running virtual and hybrid events, in line with current regulations. Exhibitions that form part of a corporate event, such as conferences, are still subject to NSW Government capacity limits of 300 persons per event.
For more information on ICC Sydney, visit www.iccsydney.com.
Image credit: ICC Sydney
LITTLE NATIONAL HOTEL SYDNEY SET TO OPEN THIS MONTH
The renowned Canberra property group, DOMA, has announced it will bring its innovative hotel concept to Sydney’s CBD this month, adding to the city’s world-class accommodation offering.
Little National Hotel Sydney is targeted at the 5-star guest who spends most of their time outside their hotel room enjoying the city and hotel amenities.
The distinctive Little National brand is reflected throughout the new Sydney property, creating a compact yet efficient space that requires no compromises.
Conveniently located above Wynyard Station on Clarence Street, the property provides 230 high-tech, luxurious rooms, a guest gym, library and an exclusive rooftop garden bar.
Doma Managing Director Jure Domazet said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing a Little National Hotel to Sydney this year. Our approach has always been to provide guests with a convenient, contemporary hotel experience, without the cost of 5-star accommodation, so they can enjoy more of the city around them.”
For more information, go to https://littlenationalhotel.com.au/.
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS TO SHINE THE LIGHT ON NSW
Popular lifestyle program, Better Homes and Gardens, will showcase some of NSW’s spectacular towns and tourism businesses tonight with the entire 90-minute program filmed on location around the state.
The program will show each presenter enjoying a different corner of the state from the Northern Rivers, Central NSW to the South Coast and Sydney Harbour.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said: "We know that tourism will be critical to the state’s economic and social recovery, so the NSW Government will continue promoting COVID-safe travel throughout the state to domestic audiences."
Better Homes and Gardens Executive Producer Russell Palmer said: “Lifestyle TV is all about finding stories that reach into the heart of the home and Better Homes and Gardens has continued to do that in a tough 12 months. The NSW Road Trip episode expands that focus to show the heart and soul of the state, why so many Aussies love hitting the road and the people and places they encounter along the way.”
The exclusive NSW episode was secured by Destination NSW and will air tonight on Channel 7 at 7pm AEST.
AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM REOPENS THIS MONTH
After months of extensive renovations, the Australian Museum will reopen to the public on Saturday 28 November.
The $57.5 million building transformation is regarded as the most extensive renovation to the museum, with 3,000 square meters of back-of-house areas transformed into new public space.
To celebrate the reopening, the NSW Government has announced that general admission to the museum will be free.
Australian Museum’s Director and CEO Kim McKay said: “Like a public square, we will be able to host music and performances as well as provide a place to relax and contemplate, discuss and debate, enjoy a coffee and experience an exhibition.”
For more information, click here.
BOOST FOR NATIONAL PARKS FIRE RESOURCES
Our frontline defence against bushfires will be boosted thanks to more than $29 million in new funding for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as part of the Government’s response to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry.
Environment Minister Matt Kean said the funding was key to supporting firefighting efforts in our National Parks estate.
“The additional resources and new NPWS helicopter will also boost our remote area aerial capacity, enabling the team to chopper into some of the State’s hardest to reach areas and contain bushfires before they get too big and impact our ecological assets,” Mr Kean said.
The NPWS funding is part of the $192 million package announced in response to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry.
NEW TV COMMERCIALS FOR GOULBURN
Five new television commercials have been launched as part Goulburn Australia’s latest campaign, 'Country life, city heartbeat'.
The commercials target families and couples based in Sydney and aim to connect the Goulburn region to the high spending, high frequency domestic traveller.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council Mayor Bob Kirk said: “We can’t wait to showcase what the Goulburn region has to offer by putting these wonderful commercials on the screens in the homes of our target audience.
“After what has been a trying year, we’re more than ready to welcome visitors back to the region and boost the local economy with an increase in tourism spend. We’re confident that these TV commercials will encourage that.”
To view the commercials, click here.
