‘Leveraging world-class’ events was the focus of a feature panel at the 024 NSW Visitor Economy Forum.
Panellists included Sydney Marathon event director Wayne Larden, Destination NSW General Manager Events Julie Turpie, ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd and Tamworth Country Music Festival event manager Barry Harley.
The panel explored how stakeholders can work together to leverage events, ensuring visitors stay longer, explore the region and plan return visits.
Moderator Edwina Bartholomew said: “Major events can do more than just fill seats – they can enhance visitor experiences, activate local communities, and foster meaningful partnerships that leave a lasting impact.”
Mr Harley said the New England region benefited from year-round visitation spurred by the reputation of Tamworth Country Music Festival.
“People are inspired after their visit during Tamworth Country Music Festival, they want to return to explore the home of country music in their own time.”
Australia’s top destination for major events
With NSW counting down to a fortnight of signature events including the Deni Ute Muster (4-5 October), NRL Grand Final (6 October), Repco Bathurst 1000 (10-13 October) and SXSW Sydney (14-20 October), data from Tourism Research Australia shows NSW is the nation’s top destination for major event experiences.
In the year ending December 2023, NSW was the number one state across all key measures for domestic and international event visitors with 2.8 million visitors, who stayed a total of 6.9 million nights and spent more than $3.3 billion in NSW during their event visit.
Event tourism is supercharging visitor economy growth, with event visitors spending over three times more than the average visitor to NSW.
The average domestic overnight event visitor to NSW spent $445 per night, an impressive 70 per cent more per night than the average domestic overnight visitor at $262 per night.
The average international event visitor to NSW spent $585 per night, a staggering 364 per cent more per night than the average international visitor at $126 per night.
The Regional Event Fund (REF) administered by Destination NSW recently supported 66 regional events across the state with $1.3 million in grants, giving them a head start to become the next Deni Ute Muster or Parkes Elvis Festival. Both of which began as small regional events supported by the REF and have grown to become bucket list event experiences that draw tens of thousands of visitors to regional NSW each year.
Destination NSW also supports a range of major events across regional NSW with something for everyone, whether they’re into sport, food or music. The stellar line-up that includes Tamworth Country Music Festival, Parkes Elvis Festival, Deni Ute Muster, Repco Bathurst 1000, Mundi Mundi Bash and Narooma Oyster Festival, injects tens of millions of dollars into the state’s visitor economy and ensures regional NSW continues to be the nation’s premier regional destination.
The rise of sports tourism
Sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors worldwide, both in size and market volume.
According to UN Tourism the sports tourism market reached an approximate value of $884 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a rate of around 16 per cent between 2024 and 2030.
"The tourism and sports sectors are inextricably linked and play a key role in enhancing economic diversification, growth, and social development in many destinations by creating jobs and supporting businesses in cities and rural communities," UN Tourism said.
"The increasing popularity of major sporting events attracts more and more domestic and international visitors."
Sporting events are playing an increasingly important role in attracting visitors to Australia, with Tourism Research Australia data showing one in 15 international trips are being influenced by an organised sporting event, compared to one in 19 in 2019.
Events such as the recent TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS highlight the power of sports tourism to drive visitation.
The race was the largest marathon in Australian history, attracting 25,000 runners from more than 100 countries, with thousands of fans lining the streets to cheer them on.
Event Director Wayne Larden noted during the panel discussion that while the focus for Sydney Marathon had previously been on the athlete experience, spectators were now also a central component.
“We shifted our operational mindset for the 2024 Sydney Marathon and also our partnership and engagement approach,” he said.
“We developed a local business program that allowed for businesses to leverage the increase in visitation to the area surrounding the course.
“Sydney was and is part of the wider event experience, and so being able to create an umbrella under the event is what provides a more holistic experience for the visitor.
“Many businesses didn’t understand the benefits that the event would bring to their area, so a large part of the business program was an educational piece for these local businesses.”
