Insights - 12 April 2024 No images? Click here WESTERN SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO TURBOCHARGE VISITOR ECONOMYWestern Sydney International Airport (WSI) will open in less than 1000 days, bringing a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the NSW visitor economy. The airport will change how international and domestic visitors access Sydney, regional NSW and Australia. Located 44km west of Sydney CBD, it will be the first airport in NSW with flights taking off and landing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new airport, which is more than 70 per cent complete, is on track to open to international, domestic and cargo services by late 2026. It will have initial capacity for five million passenger movements and is expected to be Australia’s busiest airport by 2060, when 82 million passengers will pass through each year. Two visitor economy stakeholder engagement meetings have been held over the past week to highlight the benefits WSI will bring to NSW. Lights On Western Sydney - Visitor Economy Forum took place at Penrith's new Western Sydney Conference Centre on 5 April 2024. Hosted by Penrith Valley Chamber in partnership with Blue Mountains Tourism, the forum attracted more than 220 visitor-economy-related stakeholders and featured a line-up of speakers including Western Sydney Airport CEO Simon Hickey, Sydney Metro Chief Executive Peter Regan, West HQ CEO Richard Errington and BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith. Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox provided an update on the visitor economy results for Greater Sydney and Western Sydney in the year ending December 2023 and said the opening of WSI would be a complete gamechanger. Destination NSW joined 400 business, industry and government leaders on 11 April for the Airport City Summit 2024 at the William Inglis Hotel in Warwick Farm. Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue hosted the summit, which featured guest speakers including Australian Infrastructure, Transport and Local Government Minister Catherine King. King said the success and growth of Western Sydney was critical to Australia's future national prosperity, with WSI expected to increase value-add in the economy in 2063 by $5.8 billion per year. The Airport City Summit explored the key investment, transport, infrastructure, industry attraction and job opportunities the once-in-a-generation major infrastructure project will deliver for the region. Other key speakers included NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully, Western Sydney International Airport Chief Executive Officer Simon Hickey, Secretary of NSW Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure Kiersten Fishburn and Western Sydney University Chancellor and Western Parkland City Authority Chair Prof. Jennifer Westacott AO. RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR AUSTRALIAN CRUISINGThe three largest cruise operators in the Australian market – Carnival Australia, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian – have estimated it has been a record-breaking summer season. Australia welcomed around 70 cruise ships in the six months to 6 April 2024, an increase from 60 in 2019. According to Tourism & Transport Forum Australia, the average age of cruise passengers has also fallen, with the youth market one of the fastest growing segments. P&O Cruises has seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of 18-35-year-old passengers on its ships since 2019. Royal Caribbean AUNZ Vice-President Gavin Smith said: “The average age of guests sailing on our Quantum class ships over our summer season dropped by four to five years in the last few years.” In response to growing demand, Royal Caribbean will base a new ship, Anthem of the Seas, in Sydney from November 2025. It will feature 24 sailings ranging from three to 18 nights. According to the latest Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) State of the Cruise Industry Report, global cruise passenger numbers reached a new high of 31.7 million in 2023, an increase of about two million on pre-pandemic figures. CLIA forecasts passenger numbers will reach 34.1 million in 2024, increasing to 36.4 million in 2025. There were 1.3 million cruise visitors to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in 2023, up 8.4 per cent on 2019. View the report here. LARGEST-EVER DELEGATION ATTENDS SEATRADEDestination NSW attended the Seatrade Global Cruise Conference this week in Miami alongside the largest-ever Australian Cruise Association delegation. Destination NSW Regional Manager North America Irene Morgan represented NSW, together with Port Authority of NSW CEO Phillip Holliday and Port Authority of NSW Chief Customer and Commercial Officer John McKenna. Meetings were held with cruise line executives to discuss further opportunities for cruising in NSW, while Destination NSW's Cruise Sydney & New South Wales guide was shared with conference attendees. UPTOWN ACCELERATOR 2024The Uptown Accelerator program is expanding to include the lower Hunter, Greater Newcastle, the Central Coast and Illawarra-Shoalhaven regions. The program is designed to unlock the potential of going-out districts across urban centres by empowering teams of businesses to develop their district identity and equipping them with the skills and networks to attract partners and consumers. An online information session will be held on 17 April. Register here. NSW SEEKS TREATY COMMISSIONERSThe NSW Government has commenced consultation about a treaty process with applications open for three commissioners to undertake this work. The treaty and agreement-making consultation is a first step that will ask Aboriginal communities across NSW if a formal agreement-making process would be desirable and secondly what this could look like. The commissioners will be appointed via an open, competitive process, with applications open until 8 May 2024. SXSW SYDNEY 2024 BADGES ON SALESXSW Sydney will return from 14–20 October 2024, with badges to attend now on sale. Session Select public voting has also kicked off for SXSW Sydney’s Conference programming, with more than 1000 thought leaders registered. Supported proudly by Destination NSW, the inaugural SXSW Sydney featured 1178 sessions and events, with more than 287,000 people in attendance and participants from 41 countries. SAIL PORT STEPHENS RETURNSSail Port Stephens is back for 2024 and will be held over three weeks throughout April and May. Supported proudly by Destination NSW, it will include the Commodores Cup and Port Stephens Trophy over five days from 15-20 April; the SPS Windward-Leeward Series featuring the NSW Yachting Championships TP52 Gold Cup Act 3 and Rob Hampshire Cup from 26-28 April; and The Bay Series on 3-5 May. RECOVERY SUPPORT FOR FLOOD-AFFECTED AREASDisaster assistance is available in the Blue Mountains, Camden, Hawkesbury, Kiama, Liverpool, Penrith, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Sutherland, Upper Lachlan, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong Local Government Areas following the impact of flooding on 5 April 2024. The assistance measures are being provided by the Australian and NSW Governments through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. RECOVERY FUND FOR CENTRAL WESTApplications are open for funding to help the Central West rebuild its transport infrastructure to better withstand the challenges posed by future severe weather events. The $32 million Regional Transport Resilience Fund (RTRF) is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments to assist work in Cabonne, Forbes, Lachlan and Parkes. The RTRF will see vital transport infrastructure such as bridges and flood crossings replaced and roads improved. WOLLONGONG TRIATHLON RETURNSWollongong Triathlon Festival is returning from 20-21 April 2024. Thousands of athletes and spectators will gather at Wollongong Harbour and Lang Park precinct for the event. It marks the beginning of a three-year deal for triathlon in Wollongong, as competitors flock to the World Triathlon Cup. Around 200 international athletes will race a sprint distance triathlon, following the Australian Championships for Junior Mens & Womens Sprint and Para & Intellectual Impairment athletes. Wollongong Triathlon Festival is supported proudly by Destination NSW. INVESTING IN THE SNOWY MOUNTAINSThe NSW Government is continuing to invest in the future of regional communities, with nearly $200 million set to deliver priority projects in the Snowy Mountains and Jindabyne. Key initiatives include Jindabyne Mountain Bike and Adventure Park, which aims to attract visitors year-round and expand recreational options. A second project will enhance the Lake Jindabyne foreshore, improving amenities, community facilities and visitor access for a more enjoyable waterfront experience. Funding will also be used to build the capabilities of Aboriginal tourism businesses. TRAVEL TOP PRIORITY FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYSNew research released by the Tourism & Transport Forum Australia has revealed one in four Australians rank travel as the number one priority of all non-essential spending. During the autumn school holidays, 70 per cent of Australians will travel, including 41 per cent within their own state, up from 36 per cent during summer, while 21 per cent will holiday interstate and eight per cent overseas. NSW will be the most popular state for Australians to visit (33 per cent). Within NSW, the South Coast was the most popular regional destination. SYDNEY STARS IN THE FALL GUYDestination NSW partnered with Universal Pictures on 8 April 2024 for the world premiere of The Fall Guy. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, the movie was filmed in Sydney in 2022-23 and features locations including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Screen NSW's Made in NSW Fund secured the film, which injected around $145 million into the economy. Movies such as The Fall Guy showcase NSW as both a hub for the creative industries and a world-class visitor destination. Watch video highlights from the premiere here. THE RISE OF ASTROTOURISMA solar eclipse in the United States on 8 April 2024 has revealed significant growth in "astrotourism", with the event boosting hotel and restaurant spending along its path. Foot traffic data from Placer.ai showed boosted weekend activity at hotels, restaurants and other hospitality destinations, with some locations experiencing increases of around 50 per cent. The next total solar eclipse in Australia will occur on 22 July 2028. The path of the eclipse will pass directly over Sydney and stretch from Wollongong nearly all the way to Newcastle, with Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo also in line for prime viewing positions. TOURISM TO BREAK ALL RECORDS IN 2024The World Travel & Tourism Council is projecting a record-breaking year for tourism in 2024, with the sector’s global economic contribution set to reach an all-time high of almost $17 trillion. According to the tourism body’s 2024 Economic Impact Research, travel and tourism will contribute close to $1.2 trillion more than its previous record. This growth comes despite two of the world’s biggest markets, United States and China, experiencing slower international visitor expenditure recovery. By 2034, the sector will supercharge the global economy, making up 11.4 per cent of the entire economic landscape. BELLINGEN ACHIEVES ECO CERTIFICATIONThe Bellingen Shire has been awarded Ecotourism Australia’s ECO Destination Certification. It is the fourth region in NSW to achieve this milestone. The certification application was led by the Bellingen Shire Council with collaboration and support from a variety of stakeholders including Gumbaynggirr representatives, National Parks and Forestry, business chambers and the local community throughout the application process. The ECO Destination Certification supports nature-based tourism destinations to improve their holistic sustainability planning and development. Destination NSW has partnered with Ecotourism Australia to provide eligible NSW visitor economy businesses with fully funded access to the pre-certification Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard. WESTERN SYDNEY ECONOMY THRIVESThe latest research from Westpac DataX shows the Western Sydney economy is outperforming other parts of Sydney. Western Sydney is thriving on measures including discretionary spending, the strength of the night-time economy and rising customer and visitor numbers. Numbers from Westpac DataX show many Western Sydney suburbs have seen double-digit annual growth in spending on dining and bars (based on July 2023 to February 2024 compared with the same period in 2022 to 2023). An influx of visitors from interstate is also helping to drive spending across the region. Interstate visitor numbers in the Strathfield–Burwood area has risen by 41.8 per cent, Merrylands and Guildford by 39.1 per cent and Parramatta by 28.4 per cent. VISITOR ECONOMY WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTSSUNRISE HEADS TO THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: Destination NSW's partnership with Channel Seven’s Weekend Sunrise continues into 2024, with the JT Travels NSW segment broadcasting live from Bowral and Robertson on 13-14 April. Learn more WORLD'S BEST CITIES FOR COFFEE: Food & Wine magazine has released a list of the top 10 cities in the world for coffee and placed Sydney in the number three spot. Learn more FOLLOW DESTINATION NSW ON LINKEDIN: Stay up to date with all the latest Destination NSW initiatives by following us on LinkedIn. Click here DID YOU ENJOY THIS NEWSLETTER? Forward it to colleagues and friends so they can subscribe too. Was this issue forwarded to you? Click here to sign up |