Building new tourism icons, visitor attractions and developing regional tourism infrastructure have been identified by the NSW Government as key pillars in a new strategy designed to accelerate post-pandemic recovery of its visitor economy.
Outlined yesterday by Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, the ‘Visitor Economy Strategy 2030’ plan headlines an ambition to elevate NSW to the leading visitor economy of the Asia-Pacific.
A further key element of the plan involves securing a wider variety of major and world-class events to be showcased in the Harbour City.
Under the plan, objectives include improving total visitor expenditure from AUD$55 billion annually to AUD$65 billion. The plan also calls for the development of the day trip market and growing opportunities in regional NSW to the point where regional visitation is contributing AUD$25 billion annually to the overall target.
Minister Ayres said the visitor economy accounts for almost 300,000 jobs and 110,000 businesses which makes it vital to the state’s overall economy.
“Once health advice allows, NSW will bounce back as a result of a $200 million a year investment to help get the tourism sector back on its feet; we have shown how agility and resilience will keep our State open for business throughout this challenging pandemic.
“From regions to roads, planning to precincts, the strategy provides a framework to guide investment and decision-making in the areas of marketing, events, business support, regulations, training and tourism infrastructure,” he added.
Targeted tourist infrastructure in the plan includes new experiences at the revitalised Sydney Fish Market, new sporting stadiums, cultural institutions and new walking tracks for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers.
Minister Ayres also outlined the state’s ambition to build on its major events portfolio including exclusive theatre productions of Hamilton and Disney’s Frozen along with a previously outlined goal of securing 10 World Cup events over the next 10 years.
The strategy has been warmly welcomed by the hospitality industry, with Accommodation Association CEO, Dean Long, saying the plan demonstrated strong confidence in the visitor economy by retaining pre-COVID targets.
“The Accommodation Association welcomes the Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 and acknowledges this as a critical step in the recovery of NSW’s tourism sector.
“We welcome the commitment to a Visitor Economy Index, which will ensure that outcomes are tracked and reported, ensuring the strategy and implementation can be adjusted accordingly,” he said.
Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO, Michael Johnson, said the strategy highlights the strengths of NSW as a destination.
“With international borders to remain closed in the foreseeable future it is reassuring the strategy includes an immediate focus on growing visitation from the domestic market,” Johnson said.
“The uncertainty around state borders is still playing havoc with interstate visitor numbers, but hopefully dropping case numbers and the vaccine rollout will create more consumer confidence.”
For more information and to read the strategy, CLICK HERE.