Insights - 17 June 2022
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NEW CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES
CARAVAN & CAMPING HOLIDAYS
‘Feel More, Live More’ is the compelling promise of a new visitor economy campaign that has been launched to promote caravan and camping holidays in NSW.
Already the number one holiday accommodation choice in regional NSW, the popularity of holiday parks is set to skyrocket even further thanks to a partnership between Destination NSW and the Caravan & Camping Industry Association (CCIA) NSW.
The ‘Feel More, Live More’ campaign underpins the NSW Government’s ‘Feel New’ brand, developed to differentiate NSW from other destinations by focusing on its unique and diverse natural wonders and cultural offerings.
Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the caravan and camping industry played a vital role in the visitor economy, with more than 3.5 million caravan and camping trips taken in NSW in 2021 alone.
“The ‘Feel More, Live More’ campaign highlights why caravan and camping holidays are so beloved in NSW,” Mr Ayres said.
“Camping and caravanning are a great way to appreciate the beauty and wonder of NSW. We know visitors now want more than a checklist of things to see. They want experiences that inspire, amaze and revitalise them and staying at one of our state’s fantastic holiday parks is the perfect way to feel new.
“From the beach to the bush and everywhere in between, NSW is spoilt for choice and I know visitors from far and wide are guaranteed to have a memorable experience. I also encourage NSW residents to get out and explore their own backyard and help turbocharge the visitor economy in regional areas.”
CCIA CEO Lyndel Gray said the organisation had proudly partnered with Destination NSW for more than 10 years to deliver marketing campaigns that inspire visitors to enjoy the caravan and camping experience.
“Caravan and camping holidays accounted for over 13 million visitor nights in NSW last year, generating more than $2.1 billion in expenditure, much of this in regional communities across the state,” Ms Gray said.
“These beautiful ads build on the emotion and strength of the ‘Feel New’ brand and will connect consumers to www.caravancampingnsw.com where they can research, plan and book their next holiday.”
The ‘Feel More, Live More’ campaign features television ads profiling some of the great escapes across NSW that are accessible for a caravan and camping getaway.
Click below to view one of the television commercials from the campaign.
INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS CONTINUE TO SOAR
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows short-term visitor arrival numbers are continuing to climb following Australia reopening its international borders.
Total international arrivals in April 2022 were 573,930, up from 374,630 in March, but still lagging behind April 2019, which saw 1,674,400 arrivals.
NSW recorded the highest number of short-term visitor arrivals in April 2022 at 82,280, an increase of 71,340 compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. Preliminary figures show another surge in arrivals in May.
The top five leading source countries of short-term visitors to NSW were New Zealand (12,870 trips), UK (10,930), United States (7930), India (7850) and Singapore (6010).
In April 2022 there were 8660 international student arrivals to NSW, an increase of 8560 students compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. However, the number of student arrivals remain 48.9 per cent lower than the pre-COVID level in April 2019.
New data from Austrade’s Tourism Research Australia (TRA) has also shown domestic and regional tourism were the green shoots of a sector hard hit by lockdowns and border closures throughout 2021.
TRA’s 2021 State of the Industry report has revealed that in 2021, the number of domestic overnight trips was up by 13 per cent on 2020. The average length of stay also increased, as did the average spend per trip. Regional tourism grew from a 44 per cent share of total tourism spend in 2019 to a 63 per cent share in 2021, with capital cities harder hit harder than regional areas during the pandemic.
In 2021, the number of domestic overnight trips was up by 13 per cent on 2020. The average length of stay also increased, as did the average spend per trip. Regional tourism grew from a 44 per cent share of total tourism spend in 2019 to a 63 per cent share in 2021, with capital cities harder hit harder than regional areas during the pandemic.
DOMESTIC TRAVEL BOOM OVER LONG WEEKEND
Eager travellers embraced the opportunity to take to the skies over the Queen's Birthday long weekend, with more than 210,000 people passing through Sydney Airport from 10-13 June 2022.
A Sydney Airport spokesman said: “It’s definitely been a busy time. Friday was one of our busiest days since COVID. However, most of the queues were resolved by around 10am and we didn’t see any major knock-on effect on operations. Flights were getting away on time.”
Across Australia, Qantas Group alone flew around 350,000 passengers on domestic routes on Qantas and Jetstar over the three-day break.
Last week, online booking site KAYAK experienced a spike of around 258 per cent for “last minute” domestic flight searches over the long weekend, compared to the week of 23-29 May 2022. The most searched domestic destinations in order were Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Coolangatta and Perth.
Among the NSW regional destinations that reported high visitor numbers over the long weekend was Port Stephens.
Destination Port Stephens (DPS) CEO Eileen Gilliland said: "We had reports of strong visitations at dining out venues, shopping, visiting attractions and taking tours - all of which contribute to our visitor economy, which is estimated to generate $705 million a year in visitor expenditure.
"And with the opening of borders around the world, Port Stephens is now starting to see the return of international visitors primarily from South East Asia, the UK and Europe, which will contribute to year-round visitations.
"In May, DPS attended Tourism Australia's largest annual international travel trade event, Australian Tourism Exchange, in Sydney, meeting with over 75 buyers, as well as hosted more than 50 international buyers on familiarisation tours to experience Port Stephens, with the aim to increase inclusion in international travel packages sold to consumers overseas."
Snowy Mountains ski resorts celebrated one of their best opening weekends in recent memory, following a 125cm dumping of early season snow in the lead-up to the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
Thredbo Resort General Manager Stuart Diver said: “The entire Thredbo community is really excited to see such a strong start to Winter 2022. It’s great to see such positive energy amongst our staff and community ready to welcome guests back to the mountains."
Thredbo Marketing Manager Caroline Brauer described the snow cover over the long weekend as being "as good as it gets" and said it pointed to an extended ski season.
"Thredbo is expecting high demand and some peak season dates to sell out, so we encourage guests to plan their visits early and recommend flexibility with dates to avoid disappointment," Ms Brauer said.
Major ski resorts have reported that accommodation is almost fully booked for the peak July and August months, with early signs pointing to good ski conditions continuing into early October.
Topping the list of snow accommodation by search volume was Jindabyne in NSW, followed by Victoria's Mount Buller and NSW's Thredbo, according to Booking.com data.
BESYDNEY ANNOUNCES NINE GLOBAL AMBASSADORS
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) has welcomed nine new Global Ambassadors to its roster of leaders of industry and academia who will contribute to securing global meetings for Sydney and Australia.
The line-up was announced at BESydney's Ambassador Gala Dinner at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney).
NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Tourism and Sport and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said: “In a post-COVID world, it has never been more important to have highly talented individuals promoting Sydney and NSW on the world stage. The gathering of BESydney’s Global Ambassadors last night and then the induction of new ambassadors shows that ‘Team Sydney’ is growing and going from strength to strength.”
The new ambassadors are:
- Richard Alcock AO – Vice Chairman Bank of America and Chairman Western Sydney Local Health District
- Martin Green AM FRS FAA – Scientia Professor at the UNSW and Director of the Australian Centre for Advance Photovoltaics
- Tan Le – Founder and CEO EMOTIV (USA)
- Ming Long AM – Non-Executive Director
- Sam Mostyn AO – President of Chief Executive Women and Non-Executive Director
- Paul O’Sullivan – Chair Western Sydney Airport
- Professor Andrew Parfitt – Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Technology Sydney
- Professor Mark Scott AO – Vice-Chancellor and President University of Sydney
- Sally-Ann Williams – CEO Cicada Innovations
Incoming Patron of the Global Ambassador Program Premier Dominic Perrottet said: “BESydney plays a vital role fostering innovation, developing our knowledge economy and key industries, attracting global talent and enriching our communities."
Destination NSW is the major investor in BESydney for the purpose of securing more international and domestic conventions, incentive travel reward programs, corporate events and exhibitions for Sydney and regional NSW.
CBD TO PARRAMATTA PATHWAY
An iconic 91 kilometre continuous pathway linking Sydney Opera House to Parramatta Park will be built as part of a $60 million NSW Government investment. The Parramatta to Sydney Foreshore Link will be one of the city's longest active transport connections, traversing 18 suburbs. The funding will facilitate the next stages of the project, including design of the initial project stages, solutions for the remaining inaccessible foreshore sections and prioritisation of works in consultation with councils.
HOTEL EXECS GATHER FOR INDUSTRY BRIEFING
More than 25 Sydney hotel executives gathered at the Radisson Blu Sydney this week for an industry briefing. Cruise Lines International Association Australasia Managing Director Joel Katz said the future was looking bright for the cruise industry with consumer sentiment already at pre-COVID-19 levels. The event was jointly hosted by Tourism Accommodation Australia and the Accommodation Association ahead of the upcoming merger between the nation’s two accommodation bodies.
UNRIVALLED ABORIGINAL EXPERIENCES
The second edition of digital publication Connect to Country has been released, exploring the stories behind Indigenous art, festivals, islands and romantic stays. NSW businesses featured include Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours, Firescreek Aboriginal Storytelling & Winetasting Experience and Burrawa Indigenous Climb at Bridgeclimb, plus get a first-hand perspective from the storytellers. Destination NSW is a partner of the Signature Experiences of Australia Program, which produces the Connect to Country digital publication.
FAST RAIL ON TRACK TO TRANSFORM NSW
A new $500 million commitment in the 2022-23 NSW Budget will bring the first stage of the Northern Corridor fast rail line to life, helping build two new electrified rail tracks between Tuggerah and Wyong, new platforms and station upgrades, new bridges including over the Wyong River and safeguarding future fast rail connections to the north and south, subject to agreement with the Federal Government. It could slash travel times between Sydney and Newcastle to one hour, Sydney and Gosford to 25 minutes and Sydney to Wollongong in 45 minutes.
HAY NEEDS YOUR RAINBOW VOTE
In a show of support for the regional LGBTQIA+ community, Tinder has created Australia’s newest “big” landmark, the Big Rainbow and is on the lookout for its new regional location as part of the Big Rainbow Project. The shortlisted towns are Hay, Broome, Daylesford and Katherine. Hay is already home to the Rainbow on the Plains Festival, taking place in November 2022 and festival organisers have mounted a campaign to attract the large, colourful sculpture to the 2711 postcode.
WYNNE PRIZE TO TOUR NSW FOR FIRST TIME
The Wynne Prize, Australia’s oldest art prize, will tour regional NSW for the first time in its 125-year history after the Art Gallery of NSW received funding from the NSW Government. Funding of $762,000 will enable the Wynne Prize to tour to 12 regional art galleries throughout 2023, 2024 and 2025, while William Kentridge: I Am Not Me, The Horse Is Not Mine – currently being exhibited at Orange Regional Gallery until 26 June 2022 – will continue touring to a further four regional NSW art galleries in 2023 and 2024.
SYDNEY SECURES SAIL GRAND PRIX
Destination NSW has secured Sydney as the Australian home of SailGP for the next three seasons. The thrilling competition features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe, building to the grand final – and sailing’s top prize of US$1 million. The high-tech, high-speed action features sailing’s best athletes racing in identical hydro foiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds approaching 100 km/h. SailGP will return to iconic Sydney Harbour on 18-19 February 2023, showcasing Sydney as a world-class destination for leisure and business travel.
VIVID SYDNEY SUPPORTS LITERACY CHARITY
More than 50 per cent of adult Australians possess literacy levels below the international standard, a statistic that motivated Destination NSW to make the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation the official charity partner of Vivid Sydney. Fans of the festival can donate to assist raising language and literacy standards among some of Australia’s most disadvantaged communities. A donation of $5 will buy a child a pack of pens or pencils, with $10 providing a vulnerable child with a new book. A gift of $20 will supply reading and writing resources for adults and children.
VIP TOUR OF NATIONAL INDIGENOUS ART FAIR
A VIP tour of the National Indigenous Art Fair (NIAF) is being offered for the first time in the event's history. Curator and Munkata Yuin woman Lyndsay Urquart will give an exclusive immersion into First Nations art, creativity and culture at the event on 2-3 July 2022 at Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal. Enjoy the opportunity to meet with some of the artists and be inspired by their creative processes and the stories behind their works of art.
EV CHARGING GRANTS INFORMATION SESSION
An online information session about the NSW Government's electric vehicle (EV) destination charging grants will be held on 6 July 2022. Learn how eligible NSW destinations are being supported to co-fund the purchase and installation of EV chargers and EV software. The session will provide an overview of the grant guidelines and how to apply. Applications for round one funding are open until 23 September 2022.
NSW CONFIRMED AS HOME OF CYCLING
The world’s largest Tour de France event outside of France, L’Étape Australia, has been secured for Wollongong and Kiama until 2024. As the biggest Tour de France event outside of France and on the back of the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong this September, L’Étape Australia reaffirms NSW’s position as the home of cycling. Destination NSW has been supporting the event since 2016. The race will take place on 27 November 2022.
UCI LEGACY PARTNERSHIP GRANTS ANNOUNCED
The NSW Government marked the 100 days-to-go milestone for the UCI Road World Championships by announcing recipients in the final round of the event’s Legacy Partnership Program. Twelve Illawarra organisations have shared in $220,000 in grants for programs and projects that will promote cycling throughout the Illawarra. To date, the program has seen $420,000 awarded to 26 organisations across the region.
RECORD FUNDING FOR MULTICULTURAL NSW
The state’s rich multicultural society and its communities are set to benefit from a record budget spend. A $28 million package, secured through the upcoming NSW Budget, will boost community cultural events and festivals, support whole-of-Government Language Services and increase engagement with multicultural and multi-faith communities. Premier Dominic Perrottet said: “One of the key takeaways from the pandemic is the critical role of multicultural and faith communities in ensuring we are all connected, engaged and supported. We are now acting on those learnings.”
LEGO EXHIBITION A HIT AT AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM
The Australian Museum has seen an incredible influx of visitors to its Jurassic World by Brickman exhibition, made possible through funding from the NSW Government’s Blockbuster initiative. Since opening in early March, Jurassic World by Brickman has sold more than 120,000 tickets, with many attendees travelling to Sydney to visit the exhibition. Family tickets have proven the most popular, with more than 107,000 sold. A third of all ticket sales came from those living in Western Sydney. Most tickets were bought by those aged between 35 and 44 and nearly 70 per cent were female.
SYDNEY STACKS UP ON DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
Sydney has been named one of the top 10 digital cities in the world in the inaugural Digital Cities Index (DCI) 2022. The index ranked 30 global cities on connectivity, services, culture and sustainability. It combined quantitative and qualitative analysis, including a survey of 3000 residents in each city. Sydney was ranked seventh and given an overall score of 72.6, performing particularly well in the pillars of connectivity (78) and sustainability (78.6).
MAKING WISHES COME TRUE AT VIVID SYDNEY
The Destination NSW team joined with Make-A-Wish Australia to make a little girl’s dream to see Vivid Sydney come true. Brave Hannah has overcome many challenges since being born with half a heart, including being diagnosed with Ayme-Gripp syndrome, which means she can't hear or speak, is vision-impaired and has an intellectual disability. Destination NSW organised for Hannah to press a special Light’s On button when Sydney Infinity was activated in Darling Harbour.
VISITOR ECONOMY WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE BRINGS SANDSONG TO SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE: SandSong tells the unique story of the Kimberley and Great Sandy Desert regions and the survival of their People. The production opens on 30 June 2022. Read more
UPGRADES TO THE OPAL SYSTEM: It will be faster and more convenient to travel in NSW with a $567.9 million investment in upgrades to the Opal system funded through the 2022-23 NSW Budget. Travellers will be able to put the Opal card on their digital wallets as part of the Opal Next Gen upgrade. Read more
EVENTS TRAINING PROGRAM: Registrations are now open for REVENTS Academy’s final 2022 intake of the popular Seven Week Regional Event Management Training Program. Focused on assisting small to medium, regional and/or volunteer run events, it commences 18 July and runs through until 2 September 2022. Read more
BLUE MOUNTAINS ICE SKATING RINK: Located at the Fairmont Resort, the rink is set to open during the NSW Winter School Holidays in July. Read more
2022 GREY NOMAD AWARDS OPEN: There are two new categories in 2022, plus changes to the online awards portal to make entering even easier. For all categories, eligibility, criteria and to access the entry portal, go to www.greynomadawards.com.au
BOOST TO CONSERVATION THROUGH BIODIVERSITY CREDITS: Biodiversity credits will be easier to secure and more efficiently priced thanks to a $106.7 million investment through the 2022-23 NSW Budget to establish a strategic new fund, the Biodiversity Credits Supply Fund. Read more
NEW WHARF FOR NORTH SYDNEY: Ferry commuters in North Sydney are enjoying the benefits of a new wharf following a $7.5 million upgrade by the NSW Government. Read more.
NEW JERVIS BAY CRUISE LAUNCHES: Jervis Bay Wild is now offering daily cruises departing from Shellharbour Marina. Whale watching cruises will operate from May to November, with eco-cruises at other times. Read more.
BUDGET BOOST KEEPS LORD HOWE ISLAND PEST FREE: The future of some of the world’s rarest species of plants and animals are being safeguarded with a $32.9 million NSW Budget investment in Lord Howe Island. The funding over four years will support delivery of a comprehensive biosecurity regime to protect the island from rats and other invasive species. Read more
RECORD INVESTMENT TO FUTURE-PROOF NSW MARINE ESTATE: The NSW Government has committed more than $180 million in new funding until 2028 to continue to fund projects that protect the state’s iconic coast and estuaries and support stronger coastal communities and industries, building on the $105 million committed to date. 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
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