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While a visit to Sydney’s cultural attractions such as the Sydney Opera House is often high on the agenda of places to visit, new research highlights that visitors to NSW want more takeaways than a selfie in front of a cultural building with nature-based experiences, culinary and agritourism, art and culture, nightlife, First Nations experiences and wellness being among the experience-led tourism offerings being sought.

The forthcoming review into the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy recommends the NSW Government ‘adopt an experience-led strategy’ that takes visitors beyond the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House to experience the true depth and breadth of the state’s nature and culture.

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham noted “the review’s recommendation is clear; the research tells us that elevating the world-class experiences on offer in NSW will be key to future growth in our visitor economy.

“People want more than a selfie at the Opera House, they want to find the unique parts of NSW that allow them to live like a local. This is what will keep visitors coming back time and time again.

“Our big Sydney Harbour icons are great drawcards, but NSW has so much more to offer. We need to do more work on creating and promoting the incredible experiences on offer in our state.

“Travellers will go home and tell their best travel story dozens of times in their lifetime. Those stories won’t be about the buildings they saw, it will be about the food they ate, the great show they saw, the spontaneous night out or the great characters they met.

“A big selling point highlighted in the review is our first light culture. These sunrise moments on sun-soaked beaches along with our wellness culture and great coffee, create some of the best early morning experiences in the world.”

Responding to research on demand trends and consultation with the industry, the review finds that visitors seek interactive experiences that enable them to connect deeply with local culture, natural landscapes and the people of NSW.

Research from BDA Marketing Planning and Tourism Research Australia highlighted the experience drivers influencing decision-making among domestic and international visitors. The top four ‘pull’ experience factors when planning a holiday include:

• NSW residents: good food and wine (43%), coastal and beach experiences (40%), history and heritage (30%) and great shopping (27%).
• Interstate visitors: good food and wine (43%), coastal and beach experiences (40%), history and heritage (31%), road trips (30%).
• International visitors: locations that offer beautiful natural environments (31%), good food and beverages (27%), natural wonders (22%) and culturally significant sites (19%).

In addition to the research, the review heard from over 600 visitor economy stakeholders who revealed through 40 round tables and a survey some consistent themes and opportunities for consideration including:

• Visitors want authenticity and to go where locals go.
• Develop and promote self-guided walks around Sydney’s arts and cultural institutions.
• Further develop multicultural precincts around Western Sydney.
• Nature and wellness identified as key opportunities for future growth.
• Opportunity to market NSW’s ‘early morning’ culture.
• Large opportunities to create experience trails: food, cycling, nature walks.
• Destination NSW to promote more regional drive itineraries.

The findings reinforce the importance of the NSW Government’s focus on creative industries, a thriving night-time economy and building neighbourhoods with distinct personalities through its housing and vibrancy agenda. Visitors expect world class experiences during the day and the night, and building vibrant diverse communities will continue to create more pull factors into the future.

The review into the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 was announced by the NSW Government in April 2024 and will set out a series of recommendations for future growth. Further recommendations will be released in the coming weeks, ahead of the new Visitor Economy Strategy 2035.

Having reached a record $51.4 billion of annual visitor expenditure in 2023, the NSW visitor economy is Australia’s biggest and is set for accelerated growth when the Newcastle International and Western Sydney International Airports open in the next two years. The refreshed strategy will position the NSW visitor economy to maximise future growth opportunities.

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham noted “The review’s recommendation is clear; the research tells us that elevating the world-class experiences on offer in NSW will be key to future growth in our visitor economy.

“People want more than a selfie at the Opera House, they want to find the unique parts of NSW that allow them to live like a local. This is what will keep visitors coming back time and time again.

“Our big Sydney Harbour icons are great drawcards, but NSW has so much more to offer. We need to do more work on creating and promoting the incredible experiences on offer in our state.

“Travellers will go home and tell their best travel story dozens of times in their lifetime. Those stories won’t be about the buildings they saw, it will be about the food they ate, the great show they saw, the spontaneous night out or the great characters they met.

“A big selling point highlighted in the review is our first light culture. These sunrise moments on sun-soaked beaches along with our wellness culture and great coffee, create some of the best early morning experiences in the world.”

NSW Visitor Economy Forum
The NSW Visitor Economy Forum is returning for 2024, with the event to take place on Thursday 3rd October at the ICC Sydney.

Registrations are now open for the full-day event, which will provide visitor economy stakeholders with an opportunity to come together, share insights and hear from industry experts to further understand what will shape the year ahead and drive growth in the NSW visitor economy.

In 2023, NSW Visitor Economy Forum participants heard from representatives from Google, McCrindle, Tourism Australia and the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner alongside industry leaders in events, wellness travel, culinary experiences and more.

The forum is free to attend and open to all visitor economy stakeholders including operators, trade partners, industry representatives and government colleagues.

Click here for more information on the 2024 NSW Visitor Economy Forum in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

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