2014 was a record year of major events for New South Wales, with a wide array of sporting, lifestyle and cultural events secured and delivered by Destination NSW and its partners, with even more being planned for 2015.
“This result proves once again that NSW is Australia’s premier state for major events,” Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Troy Grant said.
A key highlight was the Opening Series of Major League Baseball, which saw the Arizona Diamondbacks and LA Dodgers compete at Sydney Cricket Ground.
“The games showcased Sydney to an estimated international television audience of more than 168 million people around the world,” Mr Grant said.
Other sporting highlights throughout 2014 included:
• Italian football giants Juventus playing against Australian A-League All-Stars;
• Ironman Australia at Port Macquarie;
• the Australian Open Golf; and
• the State of Origin series, where the Blues finally triumphed over Queensland.
Major cultural and lifestyle events included:
• the world premiere of Baz Luhrman’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical;
• the return of Disney’s The Lion King musical;
• Vivid Sydney;
• Tamworth Country Music Festival;
• Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour and many more.
Mr Grant said Regional NSW also experienced a bumper 2014, with the NSW Government supporting over 40 regional events throughout the state, including new events such as the Dungog Festival and the Australian Bowl-Riding Championships.
“These events are great for people living in NSW, but they are also great for attracting thousands of visitors from further afield, interstate and overseas, which drives jobs and the NSW economy,” Mr Grant said.
“In the year end September 2014, NSW attracted 29.6 million overnight visitors, who made a total contribution of $22 billion to the local economy in visitor spend. A total of 81.1 million people visited NSW in that time.
“These figures represent a rise of 3.9 per cent and 3.3 per cent respectively on the previous year’s figures.”
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