No Images? Click here TOURISM FUNDING BOOST FOR NSW NORTH COASTThe NSW Government has announced a dedicated Flood Recovery Support Program worth $300,000 to help drive visitors back to the NSW North Coast this Spring. Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall were in Lismore on Tuesday to make the announcement and said the Government is doing everything it can to assist the North Coast tourism industry following the devastating floods in March. “After consulting with our key industry stakeholders and listening to their concerns, I’m very pleased to announce the NSW Government will be delivering a Flood Recovery Support Program,” Ms Berejilklian said. “It’s important we send a clear message that the North Coast is open for business.” Mr Marshall said the money will be spent on a campaign designed to have a significant impact on local tourism. “The funding program will include new marketing initiatives, an extensive digital and social media program, media familiarisations as well as industry partnerships with HotelsCombined, Webjet, Stayz and National Geographic,” Mr Marshall said. The support and promotional package will run until September 2017. For the full story, click here. TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL LINE-UPMore than 700 artists will perform at over 2,800 events across 120 venues when the Tamworth Country Music Festival returns in January 2018. Headlining acts for next year’s event include perennial favourites and award winners such as Troy Cassar-Daley, Lee Kernaghan, The McClymonts, Sara Storer, Adam Eckersley Band and John Williamson. NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the event will provide a major boost to the local visitor economy. “In 2018, the event is expected to attract 13,700 overnight visitors and deliver more than $13 million in visitor spend and I encourage country music fans across Australia to start planning their visit to Tamworth next January for an outstanding country NSW event.” For all ticketing and festival details head to http://www.tcmf.com.au. SCULPTURE AT BARANGAROOSculpture at Barangaroo returns to Barangaroo Reserve from 5 – 20 August, presented in partnership with the Barangaroo Delivery Authority and Sculpture by the Sea. The visually stunning and free public outdoor exhibition will surprise and delight Sydneysiders and visitors as they explore the greenspace at the spectacular Harbour foreshore park. Visitors can enjoy 14 artworks by nine established and emerging Australian artists, including five new works created specifically for the exhibition and nine existing sculptures that have been hand selected by curator Geoffrey Edwards to complement the striking landscape and backdrop. The park will be open 24/7, but visitors are encouraged to view the works between 8am - 6pm daily. FIRST EVER MANLY TO BARANGAROO FAST FERRY SERVICEVisitors and commuters will soon be able to take a fast ferry between Manly and Barangaroo when the direct service starts in September this year. The SeaLink Travel Group announced earlier this week that the service will significantly cut travel times between the beachside suburb and Sydney’s latest CBD hotspot. Captain Cook Cruises General Manager, Anthony Haworth said the Barangaroo Fast Ferry service was supported by the NSW Government and local member for Manly, James Griffin, who had been an excellent advocate for the introduction of the service. The service will operate daily between Manly Hotel Wharf No 3, and King Street Wharf 1, Barangaroo. It will depart every 30 minutes during peak hours Monday to Friday commencing at 6:45am. Weekends the service will operate regularly from 9:30am through to 6pm. Further information on the ferry service will be released via Barangaroo Fast Ferry social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ABODE LUXURY HEADS TO YASSAbode’s latest offering, a four-star hotel in Murrumbateman, will be a boon to local wineries and Yass Valley tourism. Construction has begun on the 50-room hotel, which has been nicknamed 'the long house' because of its allusion to the grand pastoral homesteads famous through Australia’s rural heritage. Abode Group General Manager Rien Donkin said with the abundance of dining options in the area, the hotel design would encourage guests to get out and enjoy all that is available locally. “In anticipation of the kind of travellers we envisage for this property, who will be seeking a food and wine experience, Abode Murrumbateman will be a departure from the Group’s trademark, self-contained apartment model, by offering a choice of ensuite bedrooms as well as communal kitchen facilities, wine-tasting area, open fireplace and guest lounge,” Mr Donkin said. Click here for a video showcasing the hotel. SYDNEY’S FIRST ALL-WEATHER TENNIS COURTSSome of the world’s top tennis players will now have access to an all-weather training facility after the official opening of Sydney’s first public indoor tennis courts at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre. Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres joined former Australian Davis Cup Captain and Tennis Australia Head of Performance Wally Masur on Monday to officially open the facility. “This state-of-the-art centre will not only benefit some of the world’s best tennis players at the Sydney International in January, but it will also help improve Sydney’s chances of hosting Fed and Davis Cup ties or Australian Pro Tour events in the future,” Mr Ayres said. The $830,000 facility is a joint initiative of the NSW State Government, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Tennis NSW and Tennis Australia. 2017 HELPMANN AWARDSThe 2017 Helpmann Awards were presented at a star-studded ceremony on Monday, in front of a full house at Sydney's Capitol Theatre. The winners were announced in the categories of comedy, cabaret, presentation for children, contemporary music, dance and physical theatre, industry, musicals, opera and classical music, regional touring and theatre. Minister for the Arts Don Harwin said, “The Helpmann Awards celebrate Australia’s exceptional live performance industry and mark another remarkable year for the arts sector in Australia. This year’s winners have made such a positive impact on our artistic and cultural experiences, and I extend my congratulations to all of them for their wonderful contribution to the industry.” The Helpmann Awards is proudly supported by the NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The Awards will go to air this Sunday 30 July on ABC at 9:30pm. WIGAN WARRIORS TOUR SECURED FOR NSWIn an Australian first, Destination NSW in partnership with Destination Wollongong, have secured British rugby league side Wigan to bring their first home match of the 2018 Super League season to Wollongong next February. The match will see Wigan take on Hull in the first official Super League match ever played on Australian soil. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the exclusive tour will include an additional two matches, with Wigan taking on the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Hull facing the St George Illawarra Dragons in an NRL pre-season double-header at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. “It’s a no brainer that the first ever Australian played Super League match will be held in the country’s number one state for major events, and I am thrilled that the NSW Government has secured these exclusive matches for Wollongong and Sydney,” Mr Marshall said. The tour is expected to attract roughly 5,000 interstate and overseas visitors to NSW, injecting more than $7 million into the local visitor economy. VIDEO JUNKEE AT CARRIAGEWORKSTaking over Sydney’s iconic Carriageworks on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 July, Video Junkee 2017 is a new Festival from the team at Junkee Media presented in partnership with Destination NSW, the State Government’s tourism and major events agency. The festival is a two-day celebration of creativity and innovation in video, partnering with leading platforms including Foxtel, YouTube, Netflix, BuzzFeed and ABC iview to present a series of talks, panels, screenings, masterclasses and awards. Australian actress and star of Netflix Original series Orange is the New Black, Yael Stone will present a keynote speech taking a deep dive into the history and commodification of storytelling. Creator and Showrunner, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, of the hit Netflix Original animation series Bojack Horseman will discuss the creation of his wildly acclaimed dark comedy and how an animation about a humanoid horse became a global hit. For more information about this event and to purchase tickets, click here. TWEED LURES NEW OFFSHORE ARTIFICIAL REEFLocal tourism and recreational fishers on the far North Coast of NSW will be the big winners with the NSW Government announcing a $1.1 million investment towards an offshore artificial reef to be deployed off the Tweed Heads coast. Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said, “The reef will use an innovative state-of-the-art design which deflects currents to create eddies and upwellings which provide intricate habitats for a variety of fish species and marine life. “More than 50 different species of fish have been identified on our current offshore artificial reefs - including yellowtail kingfish, snapper and mulloway - which shows just how effective they are in boosting fish habitats." QANTAS LAUNCHES FLIGHTS FROM OSAKA TO SYDNEYQantas will launch new non-stop, seasonal flights between Sydney and Osaka, Japan’s second largest source market after Tokyo. From December 2017 until March 2018, Qantas will operate three flights per week using its upgraded two-class Airbus A330 aircraft. Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said, “In the year ended March 2017, NSW received 165,000 overnight visitors from Japan - up by 22.2% on the previous year. These figures show that Japanese travellers are already choosing NSW for a holiday, and the new Osaka to Sydney service will provide a greater opportunity to highlight our stunning Harbour City, iconic attractions, world-class calendar of events and beautiful regional NSW.” ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF TOURISM TO NSWDestination NSW has released a new fact sheet on the significant contribution tourism makes to the State’s economy. Based on the latest State Tourism Satellite Accounts report from Tourism Research Australia, NSW continued its national leadership in tourism employment, generating 261,100 tourism jobs in 2015-16. Tourism consumption reached its highest level in 2015-16 at $38.1 billion, accounting for the biggest share of total tourism consumption in Australia (29.3%). Visit the Destination NSW website to download the report. MASTERPLAN FOR BAYS PRECINCTConsultations will soon commence on the masterplan for the Bays Market District and design of the new Sydney Fish market. UrbanGrowth NSW this week announced Australian urban designers FJMT and global engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald have been appointed to develop the masterplan and will shortly commence consultation. Construction on the new Sydney Fish Market is anticipated to commence in late-2018. Click here for further information. NEW TRAVELODGE HOTEL TO OPEN AT SYDNEY AIRPORTTravelodge Hotels will open a new 209-room hotel at Sydney Airport in September, offering the perfect layover for the no-nonsense traveller. TFE Hotels CEO Rachel Argaman said the new hotel would meet the increasing volume of business and leisure guests coming into Sydney. “This exciting addition to the Sydney hotel scene is part of the broader transformation of airport accommodation in Australia, which is turning airport hotels into appealing and desirable places to spend time as part of any holiday or business journey,” Ms Argaman said. For more information, click here. COUNTDOWN TO BYRON WRITERS FESTIVALThe 2017 Byron Writers Festival will take place from 4 – 8 August, with a line-up of more than 130 writers and thinkers set to present. This major annual literary event offers a three-day program attracting thousands of amateur and aspiring writers of all ages. The Festival will highlight lessons and learning from nature, and continue to examine the role of storytelling in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit www.byronwritersfestival.com. |