Insights - 7 July 2023
No images? Click here
FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TO INJECT $21 MILLION
INTO NSW VISITOR ECONOMY
More than 1.1 million tickets have been sold for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, but its benefits to the NSW visitor economy go far beyond seats in stadiums.
The tournament, which runs from 20 July to 20 August 2023, is estimated to bring more than 16,000 visitors to Sydney and inject more than $21 million into the state’s visitor economy.
Destination NSW has secured 11 matches for Sydney, including the final, the most of any host city. Stadium Australia, at Sydney Olympic Park, will kick off the excitement with the Matildas' opening match against the Republic of Ireland on 20 July.
NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said: “The FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ will help grow the state’s visitor economy and create jobs.
“This tournament has the potential to be one of the biggest sporting events in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics and the NSW Government is happy to support the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.”
Greater Sydney will also benefit from four training sites being chosen at ES Marks Athletics Field in Moore Park, Leichhardt Oval, Valentine Sports Park in Glenwood and Western Sydney Wanderers Centre of Football, which will be used by teams participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.
"Destination NSW's investment in sporting, cultural and business events positions Sydney and NSW as the events capital of the Asia Pacific," said Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox.
Investing in major events such as the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ is a strategic pillar of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030.
THE ULTIMATE MATILDAS EXPERIENCE FOR FANS
Destination NSW has created a Matildas Fan Suite prize to bring further excitement to Sydney during the biggest tournament in the history of women’s football.
A penthouse at The Star Grand has been transformed to create the ultimate football experience, with one person winning two nights’ accommodation in the Matildas Fan Suite for themselves and three guests from 19-21 July 2023. The prize includes domestic flights and airport transfers for four people (if winner is from interstate or regional NSW), four tickets to the Matildas versus Republic of Ireland match and a meet and greet with former Matildas star Michelle Heyman.
STARS LIGHT UP ICC SYDNEY AS IT
COUNTS DOWN TO SXSW SYDNEY
Sydney played a starring role this week at the Australian premiere of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - Dead Reckoning. It was the first movie premiere for International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), with the venue and the city skyline providing a dazzling backdrop for the blockbuster event.
Hundreds of fans flocked to the Convention Forecourt at Darling Harbour to meet actors Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg and Pom Klementieff. A fireworks display lit up the waterfront as 2500 people walked the red carpet to watch the movie in ICC Sydney’s Darling Harbour Theatre.
Following the successful premiere, ICC Sydney has begun the countdown to the inaugural South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney 2023 technology and innovation, games, music, screen and culture events.
Events to be held at anchor venue ICC Sydney include the SXSW Sydney Conference, featuring over 200 presentations, panels, workshops and mentor sessions; the SXSW Sydney Tech & Innovation Expo showcasing innovative and emerging tech, entertainment and games companies; the SXSW Sydney Games Festival; the SXSW Sydney 2023 Music Festival; and the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival’s program of film, TV, digital, XR and social content premieres at ICC Sydney’s Darling Harbour Theatre.
ICC Sydney CEO and Group Director – Convention Centres, ASM Global (APAC), Geoff Donaghy said: “Beyond providing an extraordinary experience for the diversity of SXSW Sydney visitors, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate on delivering a positive legacy for years to come – from the economic benefit across our dynamic city to environmental sustainability solutions and facilitating connections into our local community."
Learn more here.
The 2023 SXSW Sydney Conference has also announced a new slate of speakers and revealed some of the panels and presentations chosen through its public platform Session Select.
Destination NSW is a proud partner of SXSW Sydney, which will be held from 15-22 October 2023.
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF SYDNEY WORLDPRIDE
A report has been released by Deloitte Access Economics that explores the substantial contribution Sydney WorldPride made to revitalising the economy.
The event gathered LGBTQIA+ people from across the globe from 17 February to 5 March 2023, drawing 103,800 visitors to Sydney and adding $185.6 million to the NSW visitor economy.
Among the attendees were 21,000 overseas visitors from 71 countries, with the rest from intrastate and interstate. The top five attendee countries were the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany and Canada.
Nearly 70,000 visitors came to NSW specifically to attend the festival, with 274,814 total tickets sold and 802,369 people attending free events.
Sydney WorldPride also made a positive social impact for LGBTQIA+ people, with 91 per cent of attendees agreeing the festival enhanced Sydney's reputation as an inclusive and diverse city, 95 per cent feeling they were able to fully express themselves and their identity while participating and 89 per cent saying the festival positively impacted their allyship with the community.
Sydney WorldPride CEO Kate Wickett said: "Sydney WorldPride represented who we are and what we value as Australians. Sydney, one of the most beautiful and diverse cities in the world, provided a magnificent backdrop of a life-changing celebration - a party with purpose."
DESTINATION NSW CELEBRATES NAIDOC WEEK
The Destination NSW team has been celebrating and recognising the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples during NAIDOC Week.
Activities have included an Aboriginal weaving workshop, a bush tucker tour at the Royal Botanical Garden Sydney and an Aboriginal History guided visit at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Destination NSW also supported a range of stakeholder activities for NAIDOC Week, including Sydney BridgeClimb's Burrawa Climb on the week that also marks the one-year anniversary of the Aboriginal flag flying permanently at the summit of the iconic landmark.
Destination NSW Product Manager, Aboriginal Experiences Sarah Allen said: "It has been great to hear that Aboriginal tourism businesses are booked out over NAIDOC Week. There is a rising interest in Aboriginal culture and tourism offerings around the state, not only is it exciting for the businesses, it’s also great for the NSW visitor economy and sustainability of the industry."
FUNDING SUPPORTS NAIDOC WEEK
The NSW Government has supported NAIDOC Week celebrations by providing $310,000 for Aboriginal participation in events across NSW. NAIDOC Week is running from 2–9 July, with the theme ‘For Our Elders’. The funding provided under the Aboriginal Affairs NSW NAIDOC Grants Program has included supporting the Souths Cares NAIDOC Festival in Maroubra, flag-raising ceremonies, a Community Day at the Armidale and Region Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place and a traditional food day by Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council.
FRAMEWORK TO CONNECT WITH COUNTRY
The NSW Government Architect’s Connecting with Country Framework has been released to help better recognise Indigenous culture in planning and design. It aims to empower Aboriginal voices and provide guidance to government, planners, designers and industry on how to respond to Country through the planning, designing and delivery of projects. Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the new framework would give Aboriginal communities greater involvement in planning projects that impact Indigenous culture and interests.
NSW INVITES CHINA TO COME SAY G'DAY
Tourism Australia's Come and Say G’Day Chinese campaign was launched last week in Chengdu – the capital of China’s Sichuan province and one of the country's top four largest cities. Tourism Australia's 'Come and Say G'Day' campaign is appearing on one of the city's large-scale 3D billboards, featuring iconic Australian locations including Sydney Harbour. An Australia-themed activation starring a giant version of Tourism Australia Brand Ambassador Ruby the kangaroo was also featured in the city centre for a week, capitalising on the 800,000 people who pass through that area each day.
TAYLOR SWIFT'S ECONOMIC IMPACT
Airlines and hotels are reporting a huge spike in bookings for flights and accommodation following Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour concert tickets going on sale for February 2024. Virgin Australia saw a 656 per cent increase in bookings to Sydney and Melbourne. Air New Zealand has added to its capacity into Sydney, while Qantas will add more than 60 additional flights between Melbourne and Sydney to meet increased demand. Hilton Sydney bookings went up 1129 per cent after the announcement, while Accor has reported significant demand for bookings across Sydney.
WESTERN SYDNEY CONFERENCE CENTRE
Pullman Sydney Penrith and Western Sydney Conference Centre (WSCC) will open two months ahead of schedule this August. Penrith’s first five-star hotel and the new state-of-the-art conference centre come as Western Sydney embarks on a new chapter of growth. Pullman Sydney Penrith has 153 rooms, while WSCC will serve 1000 seated guests.
WOLLONGONG HOSTS CRUISE CONFERENCE
The Australian Cruise Association will hold its 25th annual conference in Wollongong from 30 August to 1 September 2023. Sponsored by Destination Wollongong, City of Wollongong and Port Authority of NSW, the conference will focus on the next phase of cruise growth in Australia and explore maximising opportunities in the sector’s supply chain.
SYDNEY WESTERN HARBOUR TRANSFORMS
Sydney’s western harbour precinct has the potential to inject $6.2 billion a year into the local economy according to a report by the New Sydney Waterfront Company. Produced by Colliers, it is the first Turnover Report to track visitor traffic and spending in the precinct, which spans Walsh Bay to Blackwattle Bay and shows the waterfront district is already outperforming the recovery of Sydney’s CBD. Based on current performance data analysis, the precinct attracted 79 million visits over the past 12 months, generating a retail turnover of $4.1billion.
ATEC ONLINE LEARNING FOR HOSTS
Destination NSW has partnered with the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) to provide free access for internationally-ready NSW tour, attraction and accommodation businesses to access three ATEC Host online learning modules. These include China Host, India Host and Accessible & Inclusive Host. The training programs show how to effectively attract and service visitors from key markets by being culture-ready, product and service ready and marketing and trade ready, plus how to work effectively with key travel distributors.
ULTIMATE NSW WINERY EXPERIENCES
Orange winery Swinging Bridge has become the fifth NSW member of Ultimate Winery Experiences of Australia (UWEA). The other internationally ready NSW winery experience members of UWEA are Printhie Wines in Orange, and Hunter Vallery wineries Audrey Wilkinson, Tyrrells and Brokenwood Wines. It also joins a growing cluster of internationally-ready products in Orange, including unique accommodation (The Oriana, The Remington, Rowlee Wines Guesthouse) and experiences with Rowlee Wines and Country Food Trails.
SYDNEY METRO STARTS TUNNELLING TO WSI
Tunnelling of the new 23km Sydney Metro line to Western Sydney Airport is underway. Two tunnel boring machines have started their journeys at the future Airport Business Park Station, carving out the first 5.5-kilometre sections of the twin metro tunnels towards the Aerotropolis. The line will be operational when the airport opens for passenger services in 2026, with an expected travel time of 15 minutes from St Marys metro station to Airport Terminal Station and a further five minutes to the Aerotropolis Station.
SYDNEY TOUR AMONG THE BEST OF THE BEST
Congratulations to Sydney's Wildlife, Waterfalls & Wine tour on winning a Tripadvisor 2023 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best award. The Local Travel Planner tour was one of the 10 Top Overall Experiences - Australia.
NEWCASTLE AIRPORT FLY THROUGH
Newcastle Airport has released an animated video of what its new terminal will look like when it opens in 2024. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the official ground-breaking ceremony this week for the $110 million project.
VISITOR ECONOMY WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
TOURISM RESEARCH AUSTRALIA DOMESTIC TOURISM APRIL 2023 RESULTS: April 2023 saw mixed domestic tourism results when compared to the April 2019 pre-COVID-19 period. Overnight spend was up, buoyed by the Easter and school holidays. However, the number of trips and nights away were down. Read more
SOUTH COAST ISLAND NATURE RESERVE DUAL NAMED: Barunguba Montague Island Nature Reserve off Narooma is valued as a significant ceremonial area and resource gathering place. Learn more
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS: The NSW Government is working to approve more Aboriginal land claims to support social, cultural, and economic benefits for Aboriginal communities during NAIDOC Week. Learn more
LOCAL ELDERS SHARE CULTURAL BURNING KNOWLEDGE: The NSW Government has attended a cultural burn organised by The Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council, to promote knowledge sharing with Crown Lands’ bushfire mitigation staff. Learn more
$300 MILLION INVESTED IN LOCAL SUPPLIERS FOR NEW SYDNEY FISH MARKETS: The NSW Government has awarded more than $300 million or 98 per cent of project contracts to-date to local suppliers as construction of the new Sydney Fish Market continues to ramp up. Learn more
ACCOMMODATION ASSOCIATIONS OFFICIALLY MERGE: The amalgamation of Accommodation Association and Tourism Accommodation Australia to form a new industry body known as Accommodation Australia took place on 1 July 2023. Learn more
AUSTRALIA'S WORKING HOLIDAY MAKER PROGRAM: New arrangements for UK passport holders applying for the program come into effect from 1 July 2023. The maximum age limit has increased to 35 years. Learn more
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS SEEKS FEEDBACK TO HELP SHAPE LABOUR MARKET: Have your say on the tourism industry here.
FORMER SYDNEY GAY & LESBIAN MARDI GRAS CEO LAUNCHES THURSDAY GROUP: Albert Kruger said the group's primary objective will be to assist organisations to elevate their diversity and inclusion strategies. Learn more
$41 MILLION TO IMPROVE ROAD SAFETY IN THE REGIONS: Round one of the Towards Zero Safer Roads Program has kicked off with the NSW Government prioritising 27 new projects and rolling out of a further 11 safety upgrades in regional NSW. Learn more
MOAMA LIGHTS SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW CANCELLED: Murray River Council has cancelled the Moama Lights component of the Moama Lights festival due to rising water levels in Horseshoe Lagoon. Read 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
