Tuesday 21 March 2017

NSW DOMINATES INTERNATIONAL VISITOR MARKET

Hinterland,
Macleay Valley Coast
NSW continues to dominate the visitor economy attracting more than 50 per cent of all international visitors to Australia last year.

According to the latest International Visitor Survey results, overseas visitors contributed a record $9.5 billion to the State’s economy in the year ending December 2016.

NSW’s 13 per cent growth rate in tourism expenditure was more than double that of Victoria and more than triple that of Queensland.

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said Tourism Research Australia’s independent figures reconfirmed tourism as one of the State’s strongest growth sectors.

“We’ve seen record levels of tourism dollars fly into Sydney and rural and regional NSW, turbocharging local economies, generating jobs and investment,” Mr Marshall said.

“Last year NSW attracted 3.9 million visitors, a growth of 13 per cent on the previous year, smashing the growth rate of other states and increasing visitor spend by $1.1 billion.”

Mr Marshall said while Sydney remained the number one destination for overseas visitors, with record growth figures, visitation to rural and regional NSW had also seen a significant increase.

“Sydney continues to lead all Australian capital cities achieving its highest volumes of international visitors and expenditure on record while rural and regional NSW has also increased its number of international visitors, by an impressive 11.5 per cent,” Mr Marshall said.

Sydney Business Chamber Executive Director Patricia Forsythe said the marketing of Sydney into Asia is paying dividends.

“There is no doubt that when Sydney is doing well, NSW regions reap the benefit with international visitors staying longer and travelling wider than in past years,” Ms Forsythe said.

“It’s clear that the major event strategy is paying off with events such as Vivid and major sporting events attracting strong international visitation.”

Image: Hinterland, Macleay Valley Coast. Credit, Image courtesy of Kempsey Shire Council

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