The full-day event focused on the theme of ‘Experience NSW’ and explored growing visitor demand for authentic, immersive experiences that enable people to connect with local culture, natural landscapes and vibrant communities when travelling.

The event discussed the latest trends, strategies and visitor experiences that will accelerate sector growth in the coming years.

Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham gave the opening address at the forum and discussed the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 Review.

“The NSW Government and Destination NSW have been working on a new visitor economy strategy and we’re very close to releasing the review that will underpin it,” Mr Graham said.

“One of the key recommendations is that our ambition for growth can be even bigger. The current strategy has a target of $65 billion by 2030 and we think we can aim even higher.

“The other very important recommendation is to adopt an experience-led tourism strategy, which is why we’ve chosen Experience NSW as the theme for this year’s forum.

“Many of you have seen the experiences that light people up, the moments that create memories that last a lifetime.

“We know they want more than a selfie at the Sydney Opera House, they want nature-based experiences, culinary and agritourism, art and culture, nightlife, First Nations experiences and wellness.

“We need to build and promote the experiences that meet this appetite from our visitors and play to our strengths.

“We want to work with you, we want to support you, so we can all maximise the opportunities on offer.”

Keynote speakers explore the power of experiences

The 2024 NSW Visitor Economy Forum was hosted by news presenter for the Seven Network and regional NSW accommodation business owner Edwina Bartholomew.

The program included keynote speeches by Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox, alongside former Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer of Lonely Planet Gus Balbontin, who discussed ‘Adapting to a new world of experiences’, plus a visitor economy trend report by FiftyFive5.

Two feature panel sessions were held on ‘Building our visitor economy workforce’ and ‘Cutting Through the Clutter: Storytelling in the Digital Age​’.

Following the keynote speeches and panel sessions, attendees had the opportunity to select two deep dive sessions, exploring specific growth opportunities for local visitor economies.

Topics included:

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2024 NSW Visitor Economy Forum. We hope the insights on trends shaping the NSW visitor economy and provocations about how to approach new opportunities provided an opportunity for you to focus on the future and how we can work together to accelerate our shared goal of driving growth and new opportunities.