Accommodation Association welcomes NSW Government’s 2030 NSW Visitor Economy Industry Strategy

THE Accommodation Association has welcomed the publication of the NSW Government’s 2030 NSW Visitor Economy Industry Strategy which recognises the importance of mobilising government funding and support for the visitor economy. 

Importantly, Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long said the strategy recognises the significant impact of COVID with a three-phase plan: Recovery, Momentum and Accelerate.
 
Mr Long said it demonstrated the government’s strong confidence in the NSW visitor economy by retaining the pre-COVID 2030 targets to triple the 2009 overnight visitor expenditure ($18.3billion) for an overnight visitor expenditure of $55 billion by 2030, incorporating a regional target of $25 billion by 2030.

“The Accommodation Association welcomes the Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 and acknowledges this as a critical step in the recovery of NSW’s tourism sector," he said. "We welcome the commitment to a Visitor Economy Index, which will ensure that outcomes are tracked and reported ensuring the strategy and implementation can be adjusted accordingly.
 
“We congratulate the NSW Government on their leadership and collaborative approach in developing this roadmap and committing to helping our members and the entire sector not only recover but also thrive in the future. NSW is the largest visitor economy in Australia and this roadmap will help rebuild our $43 billion visitor economy and grow it to $65 billion by 2030."

At a time of significant uncertainly, the Strategy forms the basis of a clear roadmap for recovery pointing to stronger government commitment to:

• Sydney and Greater Sydney. For the first time the strategy recognises the metropolis of three cities encapsulated in the Greater Sydney Commission vision and the importance of Western Sydney Airport (2026) in escalating growth.
• The Strategy recognises the significant economic contribution of the Sydney market to the NSW economy committing to the development of a compelling brand, programs and campaigns for Sydney.
• Securing major events and business events to both position NSW globally, support recovery and accelerate growth.
• Investing in tourism infrastructure with a clear plan. The Strategy points to a Visitor Infrastructure Framework and game changing concepts such as the creation of Special Activation Precincts, making land ready for investors and building enabling infrastructure.
• Recognising the increased need for enhanced skills and workforce planning if the industry is to recover and to improve the competitiveness of our tourism offering.

“The Accommodation Association looks forward to working closely with the NSW Government and Destination NSW  to deliver on the plan for the accommodation sector in NSW," Mr Long said.

The Accommodation Association represents close to 3,500 hotels, motels and accommodation providers, over 150,000 rooms and nearly 100,000 employees across Australia (pre COVID). Accommodation contributes $17 billion to the Australian economy.

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