Destination NSW supported visitor economy stakeholders with tools, knowledge and resources during FY23-24 to help promote NSW destinations and experiences in Australia and beyond.
Visitor Economy Forum
5 October 2023
More than 450 NSW visitor economy stakeholders attended the NSW Visitor Economy Forum — Building Momentum to 2030, hosted by Destination NSW. The forum delved into market and social trends, provided updates on artificial intelligence, data and technology, and gave international travel projections via a series of keynote speeches and panel discussions.
Keynote speakers included:
- Futurologist Professor Rocky Scopelliti
- McCrindle Director of Advisory Ashley Fell
- Google Head of Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Max Kaye
- Tourism Australia Manager — Strategy and Research Rob Harding-Smith
The forum also featured 12 breakout panel sessions, each with a focus on the state’s strengths that present opportunities for future growth.
Topics covered the commercial and social benefits of accessible and inclusive travel, how Aboriginal tourism is evolving, embedding sustainability and telling the story, embracing the wellness travel opportunity, the power of public relations and earned media, agritourism, connecting with visitors through culinary experiences, leveraging creative industries and the 24-hour economy and the key factors that make a destination competitive in the business event market.
Focus on India
18-25 March 2024
Destination NSW hosted a delegation of more than 35 key travel partners from India, showcasing NSW visitor experiences to one of the state’s key inbound markets. The trade event provided NSW visitor economy operators with a platform to connect with Indian travel partners, enabling them to better promote, educate, and sell Sydney and NSW experiences to their clients.
The event included a full-day, appointment-based workshop at Sydney Cricket Ground, a gala dinner at the iconic Sydney Opera House featuring NSW produce, and a familiarisation program showcasing Sydney, Shoalhaven, the Hunter Valley, and Port Stephens. More than 35 businesses from across the state capitalised on meetings and networking opportunities with the Indian delegation, forging connections that will expand reach and attract new audiences to NSW.
New Product Workshop
25 March 2024
The full-day, appointment-based workshop was held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and aimed to drive growth for NSW visitor economy businesses by introducing new internationally ready experiences to key buyers. The workshop facilitated more than 500 buyer appointments, connecting 19 visitor economy businesses from across NSW to engage with international and domestic travel buyers. This included inbound tour operators, domestic wholesalers, and online travel agents.
The new visitor experiences spanned from accommodation options to culinary and agritourism, as well as nature-based activities and wellness. To prepare the visitor economy businesses for the workshop, Destination NSW provided distribution development support, including inbound strategy, seller training workshops, and one-to-one personalised business assistance.
UK and Europe Roadshow 2023
13-17 November 2023
Destination NSW’s first international roadshow since 2019 was held over five days in London, Manchester, and Frankfurt. The event showcased Sydney and NSW experiences and destinations to key international buyers and was designed to educate travel agents, product managers, and wholesale staff.
More than 250 product managers and travel agents attended across the week, with 11 NSW visitor economy businesses participating.
Cruise Ready Workshops
April to June 2024
Destination NSW conducted workshops in Eden and Newcastle to highlight cruise shore excursion opportunities for NSW businesses.
The full-day workshops focused on how to maximise bookable experiences, including learning about the cruise distribution network, markets and demographics, how to create cruise shore excursions, and how to access Destination NSW cruise resources and support.
The workshops aimed to increase the number of contracted products with cruise ground handlers and products featured in cruise shore excursions, as well as pre- and post-cruise itineraries in NSW.
Experience Development Workshops
April to June 2024
A new, free workshop series delivered under the NSW First Program, the full-day Experience Development Workshops assisted visitor economy businesses (tour, attraction, and accommodation providers) to create and refine experiences that meet visitor needs and highlight the strengths of NSW.
The workshops focused on creating world-class, bookable visitor experiences and provided key insights into region-specific experience development opportunities. In FY23-24, 353 participants attended 10 workshops in locations across NSW, ranging from Bellingen to the Central Coast and Moama.
Australian Tourism Exchange
19-23 May 2024
Australia’s biggest annual travel industry event, the Australian Tourism Exchange 2024 (ATE24), attracted 700 key buyers from more than 30 countries. ATE24 was an opportunity for global distributors — including wholesalers and online travel agents — to connect with 131 NSW destinations, products, and experiences. Delivered by Tourism Australia, ATE24 combined scheduled business appointments with networking events.
Destination NSW assisted 74 visitor economy operators to prepare for the event via its capability-building NSW First Program. It also supported five new businesses to attend ATE24 through its New Product Pathway program. Following ATE24, Destination NSW delivered a familiarisation program for 114 key distribution partners from 12 priority markets. The program included 14 itineraries, all presenting Vivid Sydney 2024 and locations across NSW.