Minister for Tourism and Major Events Andrew Stoner said Vivid Sydney, which is owned and managed by the Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, attracted 79 per cent more attendees in 2014, with the total number exceeding the population of Adelaide and surpassing the total number of international tourists to Fiji last year.
“Vivid visitors came from across our State, throughout Australia and from around the world. There were more than 19,500 international travellers on Vivid Sydney travel packages, up 74 per cent on 2013, which is fantastic for our tourism industry during what was once a quiet winter period,” Mr Stoner said.
Mr Stoner said all Vivid precincts had proven popular with festivalgoers after expanding into five new precincts this year – Martin Place, the University of Sydney, Carriageworks, The Star and onto the Harbour, with ferries and commercial vessels lit up for the first time.
“Modulations at Carriageworks sold out during the long weekend and the Martin Place light installation, Emergence, featured more than 16,000 visitor ‘selfies’,” Mr Stoner said.
The largest festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere was also a social media giant in 2014. The Vivid Sydney Facebook page received over 870,000 likes, reaching an average of 2.8 million people per day and more than 3.4 million on launch day.
The Sydney Opera House sails were lit by 59 Productions, drawing praise from Jan Utzon, son of Sydney Opera House architect Jorn Utzon.
Jan Utzon commented: “Wonderful. Vivid has become a mature art form. My deepest respect and admiration to the creators of this magnificent show. My father, Jorn Utzon, would have loved to see his creation used in this way.”
Mr Stoner said Vivid’s reach went well beyond those who visited Sydney through the extensive media coverage it attracts.
“Audiences across more than 190 countries and territories also had the opportunity to marvel at Vivid from afar through extensive global media coverage. I personally encourage those viewers to come and experience Vivid firsthand in 2015,” Mr Stoner said.
“While it is too early to give exact figures, I am confident Vivid Sydney will have again delivered significant economic impact for NSW in terms of visitor spend and I look forward to announcing the extent of that impact in the near future.”
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase, thanked Sydneysiders and visitors alike for taking this year’s Vivid Sydney to new heights.
“It is wonderful to see the passion and enthusiasm invested by the NSW Government and our sponsors in producing Vivid Sydney, returned by the multitude of festivalgoers from Sydney, interstate, intrastate and overseas who flocked to our marvellous Harbour City for this dazzling winter event,” Ms Chipchase said.
“Vivid Sydney has grown from strength to strength since it began, and it is pleasing to see that the number of Vivid attendees also continues to grow at a fantastic rate, up 533 per cent since 2009.”
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