Insights - 17 February 2023
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GREATER SYDNEY TRANSFORMS INTO A
RAINBOW CITY FOR WORLDPRIDE
Sydney WorldPride, the biggest LGBTQIA+ festival in the world, launches today in the Harbour City with an expected 500,000 participants taking part in 300 free and ticketed events across 17 days.
Destination NSW is a strategic partner, investor and the lead government agency helping to coordinate Sydney WorldPride 2023, which is estimated to provide a $112 million economic boost to the NSW visitor economy.
Whether attending the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference, the First Nations spaces, concerts, balls, comedy shows, performances, themed events, sporting events, the Pride March, the Mardi Gras Parade, laneways parties, dance parties, pool parties, beach parties or culinary experiences, art and fashion events, exhibits or theatre, there will be something for everyone at this inclusive celebration.
The Sydney Opera House will be lit up with a Progress Pride Flag tonight to mark the start of Sydney WorldPride, in a visible display of welcome to locals and visitors alike.
Six iconic buildings that stretch from Circular Quay to Sydney Tower in the CBD will also light up with the colours of the pride flag on 24-26 February and 3-5 March to coincide with Sydney WorldPride events in The Domain.
Greater Sydney is transforming into a rainbow city to celebrate Sydney WorldPride, with 45 rainbow public artworks stretching from the Royal Botanic Gardens to Manly Beach, Wollongong and all the way to the Scenic Skyway in the Blue Mountains.
The full list of Rainbow City installations, with information about the dates the installations will be available to view, is on the Sydney WorldPride website.
Sydney will be filled with WorldPride-focused activities from 17 February to 5 March, ranging from Pride Villages in Darlinghurst to BridgeClimb's Pride Climb, Skydive Australia's Pride Flag Jump at Bondi and rainbow-themed foodie experiences such as high tea at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney.
Visitor attractions are also joining the celebrations, with highlights including Courtney Act joining Madame Tussauds Sydney’s new PRIDE Zone, a 'Progress Shark' outside the Australian Museum and Powerhouse hosting Absolutely Queer, an exhibition that celebrates contemporary queer creativity.
BOOMING LGBTQ+ TRAVEL MARKET
As Sydney WorldPride launches, Sydney hotels have ensured a warm welcome for visitors.
Pride festivities range from drag concierges at Ovolo Woolloomooloo to a lobby photo exhibition at Manly Pacific, drag shows at The Star, rainbow floral decorations at Pier One Sydney Harbour and many more.
Research by booking website Expedia shows the annual LGBTQ+ travel spend now exceeds approximately $309 billion – with around $9.8 billion of it in Australia alone.
Expedia Group VP Market Management APAC Michael Dykes said: "The LGBTQ+ community over-indexes on disposable income and a love of travel more than many other demographics.
"Businesses that aren’t platforming inclusivity, particularly during WorldPride, are set to miss out on a large piece of the incoming traveller economy.
"Expedia Group data suggests that up to 60 per cent of travellers intend to head to Sydney from international destinations for WorldPride, which means an influx of visitors with increased spending intentions and longer planned stays than domestic travellers.
"In fact, international travellers during the WorldPride period tend to stay more than 60 per cent longer than local visitors."
100 DAYS TO VIVID SYDNEY 2023
The countdown to Vivid Sydney 2023 has officially begun, with less than 100 days until the festival’s Lights On moment at 6pm on Friday 26 May.
Celebrating creativity, innovation and technology, Australia’s largest festival will dazzle and delight audiences for 23 days and nights across four pillars this year - Vivid Light, Vivid Music, Vivid Ideas and the new Vivid Food.
Vivid Sydney is proudly owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW. It is a vital economic driver for NSW during the winter months. Last year Vivid Sydney was attended by over 2.5 million people and injected $119 million into the NSW economy. From our creative industries to entertainment and hospitality venues, accommodation and retailers, it supports the entire ecosystem of the NSW visitor economy.
This year’s creative direction - 'Vivid Sydney, Naturally' - has been inspired by our connection to the natural environment and will be brought to life via a kaleidoscope of colourful light projections and activations, plus free and ticketed events, transforming buildings, spaces and venues throughout Sydney’s CBD.
Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini said: “We have expanded and evolved the festival further this year and have curated an amazing line-up for 2023. The festival offering includes some significant new and Vivid-first experiences, as well as Vivid Food to deliver world-class culinary talent, events and activations as part of the program.”
Among the Vivid Sydney 2023 highlights revealed to coincide with the countdown are First Nations artist Maree Clarke’s Barerarerungar, which will be projected on the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Internationally renowned Jen Lewin’s The Last Ocean will also enthrall audiences following its 2022 debut at Burning Man.
Brand new festival pillar Vivid Food will activate across venues in Sydney’s CBD showcasing a variety of creativity, innovation and culinary experiences, from pop up restaurants to haute cuisine celebrating the city’s vibrant and diverse food culture.
The Vivid Sydney Light Walk will return, with more than 49 light installations and 3D projections along the 8km illuminated walk.
The complete program for Vivid Sydney 2023 will be announced in mid-March.
SEMI PERMANENT RETURNS TO SYDNEY
Semi Permanent has announced the return of its festival of creativity and design to Sydney. It will take place at arts precinct Carriageworks as part of Vivid Sydney 2023, from 31 May to 2 June 2023.
Now in its 21st year, Semi Permanent will bring together the creative industries across Asia Pacific for three days of keynote talks, panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, demonstrations, installations and more.
Semi Permanent is supported by a continuing partnership with Destination NSW.
REGIONAL NSW IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT AIME
Destination NSW attended the 2023 Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) from 13-15 February at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
AIME is the leading trade event for the business events industry in the Asia Pacific region, attracting around 2000 buyers, suppliers and event planners.
Destination NSW and Business Events Sydney (BESydney) partnered with more than 20 destinations and venues to showcase some of NSW's best business event destinations and experiences.
Research from the 2022 event showed that $120 million worth of business events were transacted as a result of AIME.
Destination NSW and BESydney exhibitors conducted more than 670 buyer appointments during AIME 2023, with many destination partners securing new business event leads that will help drive their local visitor economies for the future.
Activities included a showcase of NSW food and beverages served at the Destination NSW exhibition stand.
Destination NSW Associate Director Regional Conferencing Mitchell Gunn said: "More than 50 AIME buyers got the chance to experience amazing NSW produce and network with local NSW experts about the broad range of business event destinations we offer across the state.
"There was genuine interest and enthusiasm from AIME buyers about regional NSW and the diversity of our statewide offering for business event groups."
The recent launch of the DNSW Regional Business Event Development Fund was also a key selling tool for regional NSW exhibitors.
"The $750,000 fund is designed to help attract and support new business events for regional NSW and all the AIME buyers we met with were keen to learn more about this opportunity," Mr Gunn said.
The 2023 NSW Regional Business Event Development Fund is managed by Destination NSW. Applications close on 31 March 2023. Learn more
Destination NSW has also been conducting a famil program as part of AIME. From 15 to 19 February more than 30 AIME hosted buyers are visiting the South Coast, North Coast, Hunter, Central Coast and Greater Sydney to experience the destinations first-hand.
TOURISM INVESTMENT MONITOR 2021–22
Tourism Research Australia has released its Tourism Investment Monitor 2021-22, with an investment pipeline of 244 projects in Australia, valued at $44.3 billion. The pipeline of investment in NSW was the largest of all the states and territories. It accounted for around 32 per cent of investment, with 59 projects valued at $14.1 billion. Investment in the aviation sector totalled $5.4 billion, with Western Sydney International Airport the main contributor. Investment in the arts, recreation and business services sector was $4 billion. Investment in the accommodation sector was $4.7 billion. Regional investment was $1.1 billion.
TRAVEL DRIVES HOUSEHOLD SPENDING
New Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show household spending rose 11.2 per cent in December 2022 compared to the same time last year. ABS head of business indicators Robert Ewing said: “Household spending on services rose 22.7 per cent compared to December 2021, driven by increased spending on transport [up 31 per cent], as air travel demand continued to grow strongly.” Strong growth was also seen in hotels, cafes and restaurants (21.8 per cent). NSW household spending was up 11.7 per cent. The booming categories were transport (up 31.3 per cent) and hotels, cafes and restaurants (up 28.5 per cent).
INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS RECOVER IN 2022
International travel in Australia saw a resurgence throughout 2022, with more than 19 million arrivals and departures combined across the year, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. New Zealand is now the largest source of visitors (698,000) and replaces China, which was the largest source of visitors in 2019. Indonesia, Canada and Germany were all in the top 10 source countries for 2022 after not featuring in the top 10 in 2019.
OVERSEAS ARRIVALS FOR DECEMBER 2022
New Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistics data on international travellers shows there were 242,050 short-term visitor arrivals to NSW in December 2022, an increase of 204,900 compared with December 2021. The number of trips for December 2022 was only 37.7 per cent lower than pre-COVID levels in December 2019. The three leading source countries for NSW were the United Kingdom (35,420 trips), the United States (34,230) and New Zealand (29,690).
ACCOMMODATION LEADS BUSINESS TURNOVER
Accommodation and food services recorded the largest percentage rise in business turnover in Australia in December 2022 (up five per cent), according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). ABS head of business indicator statistics Robert Ewing said: “Food and beverage services led the rise for the accommodation and food services industry, as Australians enjoyed a less disrupted lead up to the holiday season.” The accommodation and food services sector experienced 4.9 per cent overall growth in 2021-22.
BUSINESS CONFIDENCE BOUNCES BACK
The latest Roy Morgan Business Confidence results show the largest new year jump since the index began in 2010. Business confidence was at 106.4 (up 10.4pts since December) in January 2023, driven by optimism about investing in business growth and the performance of the economy in 2023. The most confident industry was education and training at 123.9pts (up 39.4 per cent on a year ago), with the industry among the most confident throughout 2022 as Australia’s borders reopened to tens of thousands of international students.
TRIPLE TREAT FOR ART LOVERS
Art Gallery of NSW and Museum of Contemporary Art will host three world-renowned artists next summer for Sydney International Art Series 2023-24. Destination NSW, in partnership with the two museums, has secured the works of internationally acclaimed artists Tacita Dean, Louise Bourgeois and Wassily Kandinsky exclusively for Sydney for what promises to be a highlight of the nation’s cultural events calendar. It is estimated that around 28,000 art lovers will visit Sydney to experience the three exhibitions, injecting more than $21 million of visitor expenditure into the NSW economy.
WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
More than 400 athletes from 45 teams are descending on Bathurst from 17–19 February 2023 for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. The event, which is proudly supported by Destination NSW, will feature championship races alongside a number of mass participation races to allow runners, walkers and sports fans to follow the same Mount Panorama course as their elite counterparts. It’s the first time that Australia has hosted the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, secured as part of NSW Government's 10 World Cups in 10 Years initiative. The event will bring thousands of visitors to regional NSW.
CUP OF NATIONS TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF
Destination NSW has partnered with Football Australia to bring the Cup of Nations tournament to NSW, giving football fans the opportunity to watch the Matildas ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™. The six-match tournament kicked off in Gosford on 16 February, followed by matches in Sydney on 19 February and Newcastle on 22 February. Australia is taking on Spain, Jamaica and Czechia.
SAILING GRAND PRIX COMES TO SYDNEY
Excitement is building ahead of the Australia SailGP, which gets underway on 18-19 February 2023 against the iconic backdrop of Sydney Harbour. The event is part of SailGP's international sailing competition, featuring high performance catamarans. Proudly supported by Destination NSW, it will see two-time defending champion Australia seek to extend its lead in the competition on home waters.
WESTINVEST FUNDS SPORTING FIELDS
From grassroots junior sports teams to elite athletes, North West and Western Sydney will benefit from a boost in funding for sports facilities, thanks to the NSW Government’s $5 billion WestInvest program. More than $316.7 million in funding for the Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Parramatta, Cumberland, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Strathfield and The Hills will deliver 15 new and upgraded sports facilities across Western Sydney.
SYDNEY BILLBOARD UNVEILED IN LONDON
As part of a joint partnership with travel agency Travelbag, Destination NSW has launched a billboard in West London. The Destination UK and Europe team attended the official unveiling of the billboard, aimed at promoting and selling holidays to Greater Sydney and regional NSW. Travelbag recently named Sydney as one of its top destinations for 2023, due to its vibrant events calendar, including Vivid Sydney.
TOP TOURISM TOWN NOMINATIONS OPEN
NSW Tourism Industry Council is calling for towns across NSW to enter the Top Tourism Town Awards 2023. Towns can enter under three categories: Tiny Tourism Town, Small Tourism Town, and Top Tourism Town. Winners go on to compete at the National Awards. Last year’s NSW representative winners were Mudgee (Top Tourism Town), Berry (Small Tourism Town), and Carcoar (Tiny Tourism Town), with Mudgee taking out Australia’s Top Tourism Town category for the second year in a row.
TOURISM AUSTRALIA BUSINESS EVENTS MoU
Tourism Australia and Singapore Airlines have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote business events travel to Australia. They will work together to deliver marketing and promotional trade activities in Asia and the United Kingdom that showcase Australia’s strengths as a world-class business events destination. Prior to the pandemic, business events were a strong performing sector for Australia with 1.04 million arrivals, who spent $4.5 billion in the year to 31 December 2019.
FIRST PURPLE FLAG DISTRICT LAUNCHES
Sydney’s CBD York, Clarence and Kent Street (YCK) precinct has earned the
international tick of approval as Australia’s first accredited Purple Flag district. Sydney joins London, Stockholm and Auckland in the initiative, which requires areas to meet a set of criteria including access to public transport, adequate street lighting and good food and beverage offerings. The pilot program, which is still running, also includes Parramatta CBD, Haldon Street in Lakemba and Marrickville.
NIGHTTIME ART AND CULTURE BOOST
Sydney’s night-time arts and culture scene will receive a boost with nine organisations to keep their doors open after dark, attracting new audiences to the CBD and driving economic activity. The latest $3.6 million Culture Up Late series, part of the NSW Government’s $50 million CBDs Revitalisation Program, aims to strengthen the continued recovery of Greater Sydney. The program has supported more than 1020 events and activities since 2021 and attracted more than 190,000 visitors.
JT TRAVELS HEADS TO NSW SOUTH COAST
Destination NSW is once again partnering in 2023 with Channel Seven’s Weekend Sunrise to deliver the JT Travels NSW series, which highlights visitor experiences across the state. Weekend Sunrise is one of Australia’s highest rating national breakfast programs, with an average audience reach of 1.12million each weekend. The first episode of the year will see presenter James Tobin film the weather from a variety of locations in Narooma on 18 February and Merimbula on 19 February.
LITHGOW BUSINESS & LIFESTYLE EXPO
Lithgow District Chamber of Commerce will hold its first business expo in May. Businesses in the region are invited to send expressions of interest in showcasing their products and services to buyers from across NSW. Applicants should email events@lithgow.org.au with their business name, mobile number and a short bio. The Lithgow Business Expo is part of the Revive Regional Business in Lithgow project, funded by the Federal and NSW Governments' Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund.
NSW TRIUMPHS AT STREET ART AWARDS
Six street art experiences in NSW have secured national accolades at the 2022 Australian Street Art Awards. There were three Gold Awards: The Last Lion by Sophi Odling and Christina Huynh at Burwood Chinatown Precinct, the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail in Port Macquarie and Banna Lane in Griffith. The awards are great news for the NSW visitor economy, as arts travellers stay almost one-and-a-half times longer and spend about one-and-a-half times more daily than domestic visitors, according to Australia Council for the Arts’ Domestic Art Tourism: Connecting the Country Report.
CONVICT HUT FOUND AT METRO STATION
A team of archaeologists has unearthed a convict hut and historical artefacts during the start of work at the new Sydney Metro station at Parramatta. The hut dates back to 1792 and will be fully excavated from the site, with archaeological work to continue until mid-2023. The hut was uncovered along Church Street and experts are currently investigating its significance. Parramatta Station is one of nine new metro stations being built by Transport for NSW on the Sydney Metro West line, which will reduce travel time between Sydney’s two major CBDs to 20 minutes.
VISITOR ECONOMY WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
WESTERN SYDNEY EDUCATION HUB OPENS: The doors have opened at a new $2 million NSW Government education and careers hub, securing a brighter future for Aboriginal students in Western Sydney. Learn more
FLOOD ALERTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: The Fires Near Me app, which has more than four million users, has been expanded to include flood alerts from the NSW State Emergency Service and has been renamed Hazards Near Me. Learn more
BOOST FOR WALKERS AND CYCLISTS IN MANLY: A new pedestrian and cycling bridge will be built over the Manly Lagoon in Queenscliff thanks to $3.95 million in Transport for NSW funding. Learn more
MORE FUNDING TO GROW SYDNEY’S TREE CANOPY: An extra $10 million has been committed by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment to the Sydney Canopies Project to tackle urban heat in Greater Sydney, enabling the planting of a further 400,000 trees over the next three years. Learn more
BLACKWATTLE BAY PUMPED FOR NEW FISH MARKET: More than 100 million litres of water have been pumped from the new Sydney Fish Market site in Blackwattle Bay to allow major structural works to begin. Learn more
RESTORING DAMAGED RIPARIAN AREAS ACROSS NSW: 50 projects will begin across NSW to fix riverbanks and waterways left devastated by a series of natural disasters, funded by the NSW Government's $2.4 million Riparian Restoration Grants Program. 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
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