Newcastle has been hailed NSW's 'Top Tourism Town' by Business NSW at the Local Government NSW Destination & Visitor Economy Conference in Manly.
City of Newcastle (CN) was presented with the award by NSW Tourism Industry Council Executive Director, Paula Martin, in recognition of its strategic initiatives to increase visitation and support tourism development for local operators and hospitality businesses.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the award was recognition of CN's collaboration with industry, government, and tourism operators to boost the local visitor economy.
"This accolade acknowledges City of Newcastle's leadership in growing our city as a must-see destination," Cr Nelmes said.
"Cementing our city's status as a premier tourism and major events destination, we partnered with Venues NSW to secure Newcastle as the first stop on Sir Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in Australia under a strategic Major Events Partnership and has since secured a coveted spot on the upcoming world tour of American pop powerhouse Pink in February 2024.
"Attracting headline acts of this calibre is a testament to Newcastle's growth as a world-class events and cultural city and indicative of a thriving local economy.
"Major events are a key part of our Destination Management Plan as a primary driver of the local tourism visitor economy, delivering both an immediate and ongoing benefit for the community and economy, with greater visitation, investment and liveability outcomes.
"We are committed to ongoing investment in major events and tourism through event sponsorship, industry development, our recent tourism brand refresh 'Seek Off Beat' and targeted marketing campaigns which are integral to building a thriving, diverse and robust visitor economy."
From 2024, the expansion of Newcastle Airport will pave the way to attract more international events, while international hotel brands like Crystalbrook and QT have already recognised Newcastle's expanding tourism appeal, investing millions of dollars to open five-star hotels in the city.
"To help attract more leisure visitors, a key action in Newcastle's Destination Management Plan has been to work with the business sector to increase the number of bookable visitor experiences on offer," Cr Nelmes said.
"By continuing to leverage our city's unique offering in a way that appeals to visitors from outside the region and abroad, Newcastle's future as an international tourism and major events destination is bright."
Newcastle will now vie for Australia's Top Tourism Town title at an event later this year.
Watch City of Newcastle's winning-award submission video.
