At this breakfast, Premier Chris Minns and his Tourism Minister John Graham, announced ambitious targets for the visitor economy. Business Sydney, Business NSW and Business Western Sydney were proud to host the release of the strategy and publicly support the NSW Government plans going forward.

The Government’s strategy calls for millions of extra airline seats, tens of thousands of hotel rooms and a focus on experience-led tourism to transform the state’s visitor economy into a $91 billion powerhouse. 

The Government has adopted the more ambitious goal of $91 billion in annual visitor economy expenditure by 2035 – a 40% increase on the original goal. Such a strong growth trajectory will further cement tourism as a critical pillar of future growth in the NSW economy, driving up to 150,000 new jobs by 2035.

The strategy identifies key challenges including:

⭐️The need for 40,000 extra hotel rooms, a 41% increase on what’s currently available

⭐️Significant worker and skills shortages in roles such as tour guides and chefs

⭐️Need for increased business event facilities in Sydney, Western Sydney and priority regional areas.

The Premier said “We are ready to put our shoulder to the wheel and attract even more travellers to NSW, boosting local business and creating thousands of jobs.”

Minister John Graham said “NSW has the nature, the culture and incredible experiences. We just need to match it with hard work and planning.”

Following the speeches, Paul Nicolaou, Executive Director for Business Sydney and David Borger, Executive Director for Business Wester Sydney, joined Minister Graham  for a panel discussion, moderated by Destination NSW Chair, Sally Loane.

Download a copy of the Visitor Economy Strategy Review here.