News & Media

The NSW Visitor Economy Forum will return on 9 November 2026, joining with the NSW Tourism Awards for the first time to create a major new gathering for the state’s visitor economy at ICC Sydney.

Hosted by Destination NSW, the NSW Visitor Economy Forum 2026 will be free to attend and open to all visitor economy stakeholders from across industry and government. The event will bring together tourism operators, industry representatives and government colleagues to share insights, explore emerging trends and focus on the opportunities shaping the year ahead.

The Australian and NSW Governments are co-investing $3.6 million in Strategic Indigenous Tourism Projects (SITP) to help grow Aboriginal tourism in NSW.

The NSW Aboriginal Visitor Experience Accelerator, led by Destination NSW in collaboration with Create NSW and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, is designed to accelerate the growth, capability and reach of Aboriginal-led experiences and events across the state.

More than $2 million under the partnership will see the expansion of the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s Cultural Tour Program, including training around 200 people through the Aboriginal Tour Guide Pathway Training Program.

NSW Tourism Association has announced the winners of the 2026 NSW Top Tourism Town Awards, officially presented at the Local Government NSW Destination and Visitor Economy Conference in Maitland.

The awards celebrate the outstanding regional destinations across NSW that deliver exceptional visitor experiences, showcase strong community pride and continue to inspire travellers to explore more of the state.

The awards program recognises towns across three population categories and includes a consumer voting component through the NRMA People’s Choice Award, celebrating the destinations most loved by visitors.

Private Hotel Owner and Developer HVL Hotels has announced Laval Hunter Valley—a new 65-key luxury resort and tourism destination on the 165-acre historic Lindeman Estate in Pokolbin, opening in the second half of 2027.

Laval marks the first new-build luxury resort development of this scale in the Hunter Valley in two decades.

Conceived as ‘an international hotel, made in Australia’, Laval is designed to offer global standards with a strong sense of place—drawing in a new market segment of domestic and international luxury
travellers to elevate the Hunter Valley’s profile as a global tourism destination.

Broken Bay Pearl Farm and Pullman Magenta Shores Resort have achieved ECO Certification through Ecotourism Australia programs.

ECO Certification assesses businesses, through third party auditing, against Ecotourism Australia’s internationally recognised ecotourism standard across the four pillars of sustainability: environmental, cultural, socio-economic impact and sustainable business operations.

All tours at Broken Bay Pearl Farm are now ECO Certified, offering visitors insight into oyster farming, pearl production, and the role oysters play in maintaining healthy waterways.

Set between the coastline and the waters of Tuggerah Lake, Pullman Magenta Shores Resort has been recognised by Ecotourism Australia for its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impact while delivering high-quality accommodation and experiences for visitors to the region.

Presented by NSW Tourism Association, the awards have been recognising and rewarding business excellence, innovation and professionalism for more than 40 years.

The program recognises the operators, experiences and destinations driving the state’s visitor economy—from our regional communities to our vibrant cities and from small operators to large scale-businesses.

NSW Tourism Association CEO Natalie Godward said: “This is a moment for NSW tourism. Demand is strong, competition is rising and the operators who stand out are the ones investing in quality, innovation and experience.

The event has expanded this year to become a three-week festival and brings $3.5 million in economic value to the region annually.

Sail Port Stephens is back from 13 April to 3 May 2026, and it’s set to be the biggest in the event’s 18-year history.

The three-week festival brings more than 300 boats, thousands of sailors, and three major regattas to Nelson Bay and the stunning waterways of Port Stephens. This brings $3.5 million in economic value to the region.

Travellers from Singapore can now to seamlessly fly into Newcastle with a 90-minute layover in Bali, opening a single-ticket gateway into the Hunter.

Supported by the NSW Government through the Aviation Attraction Fund, the new route between Singapore and Newcastle via Bali has taken off for the first time.

Newcastle Airport Chair Samantha Martin-Williams said the new route marks a significant step forward for Newcastle Airport and the economic future of the regions it serves.

This $659.6 million, two-year development phase for the rail line has been confirmed.

The Australian Government has announced the next major milestone for high-speed rail with the beginning of the development phase for high-speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney.

This is a significant step in the delivery of faster, more reliable rail transport that will reshape how those in the Newcastle, Hunter and Central Coast region live, work and travel.

High-speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney will cut travel times to around one hour from Newcastle to Central Sydney, with travel from the Central Coast to either Sydney or Newcastle reduced to just 30 minutes.

A FOOCASTLE sign has been erected in Newcastle to celebrate the Foo Fighters’ first concert in the Hunter.

Legendary rock band Foo Fighters have been confirmed to headline Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on November 12 as part of their Take Cover Tour, in a major coup for Newcastle and the Hunter’s booming visitor economy.

In honour of their first ever visit to Newcastle, the city is getting ready to welcome the 15-time Grammy Award winners with a Hollywood inspired attraction.

The hill overlooking Newcastle’s famous Nobbys Beach will feature a giant FOOCASTLE sign today to celebrate the Foo Fighters’ first concert in the Hunter

The Australian Government is fully invested in supporting Australia’s travel and tourism industry to grow and embrace new opportunities.

Today we are proud to launch the next action plan for THRIVE 2030, Australia’s national strategy for the long-term sustainable growth of the visitor economy.

Australia’s travel and tourism industry is part of our national identity, and crucial to the strength of our economy. Boasting 360,000 businesses and employing 700,000 people, the Australian Government is committed to collaborating with state and territory governments, industry bodies and tourism operators to achieve our shared goal of a thriving travel and tourism industry.

The NSW Government is investing in world-class live music experiences and delivering a major boost to communities across NSW, with Great Southern Nights 2026 set to bring more than 300 gigs to hundreds of venues from 1 to 17 May.

Missy Higgins, Paul Kelly, Jet, Baker Boy, Lime Cordiale, Jessica Mauboy and Peking Duk are among the Australian artists who will light up stages across Inner and Western Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Dubbo, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, the South Coast and Orange.

NSW State Government is delivering close to $10 million to plant around 24,000 trees which will green our streets and reduce the impacts of urban heating across Greater Sydney, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Hunter, and Central Coast. The Greening our City grants have been awarded to 28 projects and will provide 47,000 square metres of biodiverse understorey planting, transforming streets, parks, and public spaces into cooler, greener environments.

Research has shown that shaded surfaces may be 11-25°C cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded surfaces.

This fifth round of the Greening our City grant program was expanded to Illawarra-Shoalhaven, the Hunter, and Central Coast.

The value of the wellness tourism market in the Asia Pacific has risen to $215 billion.

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released its annual Country Rankings report, which reveals Australia is now a top 10 wellness market.

Australia rose three places in the rankings, up from twelfth to ninth place. Spending on wellness in Australia reached $141 billion in 2024, with the sector recording 7.6 per cent annual growth between 2019 and 2024.

Sports tourism is forecast to account for 60 per cent of total sports economy revenue growth until 2030.

A new report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) has highlighted sports tourism as driving rapid growth of the sports economy.

The global sporting ecosystem currently generates around $3.3 trillion in annual revenues and it accounts for close to two per cent of global GDP. Projections show the sector could nearly quadruple by 2050, reaching up to $12.7 trillion annually.