No Images? Click here HUNTER SECURES INTERNATIONAL WINE BLOGGERS CONFERENCEThe Hunter Valley will benefit from a boost in overnight visitors next year when the region plays host to the twelfth Wine Bloggers Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley—the first time the event has been held outside North America. Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter and Central Coast Scot MacDonald said the conference will provide the ultimate opportunity to showcase Australia’s oldest wine region. “The conference will be attended by wine bloggers and wine media from the USA, Europe, China and New Zealand, who are expected to share their Hunter Valley experiences with a combined social media audience of more than 24 million,” he said. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said, “In a competitive bid process against other Australian capital cities, the Hunter Valley has shown it has what it takes to host an event with international appeal. In fact, regional NSW has everything the big cities have to offer, and so much more.” The 2019 Wine Bloggers Conference will be organised by Zephyr Conferences and supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Wine makers in NSW are welcome to participate in the conference, for further information go to winebloggersconference.org. ROAD CYCLING WORLD CUP HEADS TO WOLLONGONGThe world’s best cyclists are heading to Wollongong following the announcement the seaside city won the bid for the 2022 UCI Road World Cycling Championships. Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres confirmed the NSW Government secured the State’s second international event as part of the “10 World Cups in 10 Years” campaign. “The eyes of the world will be on Wollongong for eight days in 2022, with an international viewing audience of 200 million people, more than 300,000 spectators and 500 media outlets staying in the region,” Mr Ayres said. “The Championships will see junior, under-23 and elite male and female athletes compete across the Road Race, Individual and Team Time Trial events, creating a world-class event for spectators.” Cycling Australia Chief Executive, Steve Drake said: “We are confident this will inspire the next generation of Australian cyclists to ride their bikes for both sport and recreation.” Image: L-R: Minister Ayres, Cyclist Jacinta Cliff and Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward. DESTINATION NSW STRIKES NEW DEAL WITH SINGAPORE AIRLINESMinister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall and Singapore Airlines have announced an extension of the successful partnership between the airline and the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Mr Marshall said, “Visitors from Singapore are currently worth an impressive $245 million to our State’s economy and I am delighted we have renewed our agreement with Singapore’s national carrier to help grow this number even further." The MoU was signed during Mr Marshall’s recent Trade mission to Malaysia and Singapore, where he held meetings with senior executives from AirAsiaX, Malaysia Airlines, Scoot and Singapore Airlines. Under the agreement, the two parties will develop and promote activities, including advertising, marketing campaigns and familiarisation programs, that encourage travellers to visit NSW through Singapore Airlines’ services to Sydney. Image: Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase (centre left), Minister Marshall (centre) and Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Customer Experience, Yeoh Phee Teik (centre right) at the MoU signing. MUDGEE LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO TARGET VISITING FAMILY AND FRIENDSIn a brand new approach to attract visiting friends and relatives of expats living in Australia, the Mudgee Region has launched its Water to Wine campaign. Supported by the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package, Mudgee Region Tourism secured $50,000 through the International Wine Tourism Competitive Grants program for its $100,000 marketing campaign. Chief Executive Officer of Mudgee Region Tourism Cara George said, “For us, we want to showcase the beauty of the Mudgee Wine Region and highlight how visiting friends and relatives can experience something they won’t in Sydney. So we’re asking hosts to send them out for more wine, all the way to Mudgee.” The integrated campaign by Mudgee Region Tourism, Mudgee Wine Association and Wine Australia targets Manly and the Northern Beaches, one of the highest expat communities in Sydney. The Water to Wine packages suit travel October 2018 to March 2019 and include experiences from private tastings with winemakers, to star gazing. Visit www.mudgeedeals.com.au. FUNDING OPEN FOR GRASSROOTS RURAL AND REGIONAL EVENTSThe NSW Government is calling for organisers of new events planned for rural and regional NSW from January to June next year, to apply for grants of up to $20,000 to help attract more visitors and boost local economies. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the 2019 Incubator Event Fund offers annual grants to events in rural and regional NSW to assist in marketing, public relations, venue hire and attendee research. “Our rural and regional communities are full of brilliant ideas and the Incubator Event Fund provides a platform to get events off the ground and up and running – events that will help enliven and kick start local economies,” Mr Marshall said. “We are committed to supporting more activity across our regions because when people visit, they stay in local accommodation, buy from local shops and eat at local restaurants and cafes, putting more tourist dollars in the pockets of local businesspeople and creating more jobs. “Since announcing the expanded Regional Flagship Events Program in 2016, the NSW Government has provided support to almost 60 events through the Incubator Event Fund,” he said. To apply, click here. SYDNEY NAMED TOP 10 WORLD CITYCondé Nast Traveler has announced the results of its 31st annual Readers’ Choice Awards with Sydney’s iconic Harbour and impressive food and wine scene securing it a spot in the Top 10 World City category. Nearly half a million Condé Nast Traveler readers submitted a recording-breaking number of responses rating their travel experiences to determine award winners. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the recognition in the Readers’ Choice Awards will continue to raise the profile of Sydney and NSW to the US market. “The US is one of our top inbound visitor markets and in the past year NSW welcomed 493,900 visitors from the US who stayed 4.9 million nights and contributed about $762.1 million to the State’s economy,” Mr Marshall said. NSW also performed strongly in the hotel category with more hotels featuring in the top 15 than any other Australian State, with QT Sydney, Halycon House, Four Seasons Hotel, Spicers Potts Point, Marmont Sydney and Ovolo Woolloomooloo among readers’ top picks. The 2018 Readers' Choice Awards will be published exclusively on Condé Nast Traveler’s website and celebrated in the November issue of the magazine. MASTERS OF MODERN ART TO OPEN THIS WEEKENDThe Sydney International Art Series exhibition, Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage, will open to the public at the Art Gallery of NSW this Saturday 13 October. The exhibition will present 65 paintings from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, and will run until 3 March, 2019. Significant works in the exhibition include Monet’s Poppy field c1890; Cézanne’s Great pine near Aix, 1895/97; Picasso’s Table in a Cafe, 1912; Gauguin’s Month of Mary 1899; Matisse’s Nymph and Satyr 1908; Kandinsky’s Landscape near Dünaberg 1913 and Malevich’s Black Square c.1932, all of which are from the Hermitage’s illustrious modern collection. The Sydney International Art Series is an event created by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, in collaboration with the Art Gallery of NSW and Museum of Contemporary Art, which brings the world’s most outstanding artists and their works exclusively to Sydney annually at the two galleries. Minister for the Arts Don Harwin said, “Since its inception in 2010, the Sydney International Art Series has generated over $149 million in overnight visitor expenditure for the State and attracted over 2.1 million attendees.” SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM DESIGN REVEALEDThe winning design for the future Sydney Football Stadium has been unveiled after an intense design competition between the best architectural firms in Australia. Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said the new Sydney Football Stadium will set the standard for rectangular stadiums in Australia. “The new Sydney Football Stadium and Western Sydney stadiums will bring Sydney stadia into the 21st century,” Mr Ayres said. “Sydney Football Stadium is a stadium for fans that will offer an experience like no other. From technology and design to amazing views it’s nothing short of world class. “NSW is leading the country in every way: infrastructure, low unemployment and a bright future, and now we send a clear message to other states: we won’t be beaten as the home of sport and entertainment,” he said. The future Sydney Football Stadium will be complete by 2022. NSW NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE RELEASE NEW APPNSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has released a new mobile app, providing park visitors with information and maps at their fingertips to help improve their experience. Free to download on iOS and Android, the new app is the ultimate NSW parks guide with information on over 225 national parks – and hundreds of things to see, do and places to stay. For more information, click here. MOORE PARK ICONIC BUILDING UPGRADESThe NSW Government has announced a $20 million investment in the $65 million revitalisation of two iconic Sydney venues at Moore Park. A major renovation of Hordern Pavilion will retain the heritage features of the music and entertainment venue, while the Royal Hall of Industries will become the Sydney Swans HQ and Community Centre. Work is expected to get underway on the precinct by the middle of next year subject to approvals. NEWCASTLE 500 CONCERT HEADLINES ANNOUNCEDSimple Minds and Aussie favourites Birds of Tokyo will entertain crowds at this year’s Coates Hire Newcastle 500 concert on 24 November. The performance at Newcastle’s No 1 Sportsground will an Australian exclusive for the Glasgow rockers, whose hits include Don’t You (Forget About Me) and Belfast Child. The Saturday night concert is free with any same day event ticket. Click here for tickets. MAJOR NEW RUNNING FESTIVAL FOR WESTERN SYDNEYA major new running festival is coming to Western Sydney, with the first event to be held on 31 March, 2019. Minister for Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the inaugural RunWest event is expected to attract hundreds of participants, encouring people to keep active and take in the best of the West. For more details, click here. REFLECTIONS HOLIDAY PARKS WIFI INVESTMENTReflections Holiday Parks is investing more than $300,000 in Wi-Fi infrastructure at nine of the Group’s coastal parks. Parliamentary Secretary for Digital Inclusion Catherine Cusack said investing in infrastructure which supported regional tourism was a major priority of the NSW Government. To book a stay at a Reflections Holiday Park, click here. 2018 TOURISM CENTRAL COAST SYMPOSIUMThe inaugural Tourism Central Coast Symposium, the first tourism symposium of this calibre to be held on the Central Coast, will take place on Friday 23 November. With an amazing line-up of speakers, the Symposium is a one-day event designed to deliver current, relevant, experiential knowledge and skills to motivated business owners and marketing professionals. For details and to register, click here. |