‘Connecting with visitors through culture’ was the topic of a panel discussion during the 2024 NSW Visitor Economy Forum.
Panellists included Office of 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Director Programs Victoria Moxey, Director of Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness Dwayne Bannon-Harrison and Art Gallery of NSW Head of Marketing and Communications Rachael Hammond.
The session was moderated by Annette Pitman, who was last week appointed CEO of Museums of History NSW and is currently the Chief Executive of Create NSW.
Experiencing local culture is a highlight of many travel itineraries for visitors, with the panel sharing their insights and exploring shifting trends in the best ways to share our cultural story with the world.
They discussed how to elevate authentic experiences through storytelling and the value of collaborating and networking with creative practitioners, other cultural organisations and businesses.
One of the fastest growing cultural sectors in NSW is Aboriginal tourism. In the year ending June 2024, a total of 801,900 international and domestic overnight visitors participated in an Aboriginal tourism experience during their trip. These visitors stayed 20 million nights, contributing $3.2 billion in visitor expenditure.
Mr Bannon-Harrison said Aboriginal history in Australia had been passed down through hundreds of generations through storytelling, with Aboriginal communities and elders holding deep knowledge that could be used to enrich travel to NSW.
He urged visitor economy stakeholders to connect with their local Aboriginal communities to enhance the authenticity in visitor experiences.
“The best approach is to have a conversation and hear what community has to say – listen, learn and be open,” he said.
NSW number one for cultural tourism
NSW was the top destination in Australia for culture and heritage tourism in the year ending December 2023. It was number one for domestic visitors, nights and expenditure.
There were 15.1 million visitors during the period, up 14.4 per cent year on year. These visitors stayed 28.4 million nights in NSW (up 11.8 per cent) and spent $10 billion during their stay (up 9.5 per cent).
Top 5 culture and heritage-based activities undertaken
1. Visiting museums or art galleries (32 per cent)
2. Going to markets (26 per cent)
3. Attending theatre, concerts or other performing arts (23 per cent)
4. Visiting heritage buildings, sites or monuments (15 per cent)
5. Attending festivals, fairs or cultural events (12 per cent)
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In December 2023, The NSW Government unveiled details of Creative Communities, its new arts, culture and creative industries policy.
Creative Communities is a 10-year vision, the state’s first creative industries policy, supporting the traditional arts sector and cultural institutions, but encompassing industries informed by the state’s unique and diverse cultural strengths, including:
- First Nations cultures
- Galleries, libraries, archives and museums
- Performing arts including theatre, dance, circus, comedy, cabaret
- Music including classical and contemporary composition, performance, and recording
- Screen and digital games
- Visual arts and crafts
- Literature, writing and publishing
- Broadcasting and digital media
- Design, architecture and fashion
- Built and physical heritage
- Creative and arts education
- Creativity in the food and beverage sector
- Creative innovation in the technology sector
Creative Communities has the goal of sustainably growing the depth and breadth of creative industries throughout NSW, and over the next decade enabling creative individuals, organisations and communities throughout the state to reach their potential.
Activating creative spaces
The policy aims to activate creative spaces by a combination of continued direct public investment, seeking new sources of investment for the sector, and regulatory reform.
- Creative Communities envisages that NSW will become home to a First Nations cultural centre and enhanced cultural tourism. It will forge strong and enduring partnerships with Indigenous creative communities, to create new work, rebuild connection and healing.
- The NSW Government supports maintaining free public access to NSW State Cultural Institutions and collections. They have been built with public money over many decades and are the property of and should be accessible by all NSW citizens.
- A cultural space audit in 2024 will aim to identify underutilised assets that could be used for creative endeavours, including spaces held by NSW agencies, local councils and other landholders.
- Ensure that cultural infrastructure and good design are included in major public housing and transport infrastructure investments, including by expanding the Heritage Floor Space Scheme.
- The NSW Government will introduce further vibrancy reforms in 2024 - continuing to improve planning, liquor, outdoor, and sound and noise regulations to encourage cultural activity across NSW.
The NSW Government will also:
- Ensure the White Bay Power Station will be available for ongoing cultural use, as it was for the 2024 Biennale of Sydney.
Supporting festivals across the state
The NSW Government will support festivals across the state by:
- Strengthening the co-ordination of festival support in NSW to properly position and grow the festivals sector, leveraging the wide range of industries involved, including improving staging for festivals and concerts following the development of a business for outdoor cultural infrastructure across central Sydney, Parramatta, Western Sydney, and Regional NSW.
- Reviewing the Entertainment Act to identify ways to strengthen support for festivals, venues, artists, managers and music workers.
Cultural investment in Western Sydney
- The NSW Government will invest in the Western Sydney Arts Alliance and increase staff support to coordinate initiatives for Western Sydney artists, arts organisations and creative communities.
- To support NSW children’s education, the NSW Government will develop a strategic partnership between the NSW Department of Education and Powerhouse Parramatta to embed NSW teachers into the Powerhouse Parramatta team to develop curriculum-based learning programs in collaboration with teachers, schools, industry and the museum.
- Powerhouse Parramatta will develop a major new, multi-year Western Sydney initiative for writers and writing with Sydney Writers Festival, Western Sydney University and City of Parramatta Council from 2026.
- When the Powerhouse Parramatta opens in 2025 it will include the Western Sydney HipHop Archive a collaboration with 4ESydney and Blacktown Arts.
- The NSW Government will deliver $160 million for cultural infrastructure in Western Sydney including building a lyric theatre as part of the Riverside Theatres redevelopment in Parramatta, a 350-seat theatre in Campbelltown and a new cultural centre in Blacktown.
- Deliver a final business case for the Roxy Theatre in Parramatta.
Cultural investment in regional NSW
The NSW Government will deliver a regional arts, culture and creative industries strategy in 2024 to grow and support sustainable participation in local activities. This includes:
- Working with local councils to reduce red tape for festivals and events to access local spaces.
- Working with regional communities, councils, creative organisations and venues to support a connected network of regional touring. This will involve working with local councils to connect and activate the network of regional halls and spaces to support local touring across music, performance and visual art / exhibitions.
- Supporting at least four new creative industries/artist workspaces in regional NSW in the next four years.
