PACKED CALENDAR OF SPORTING EVENTS ATTRACTING MILLIONS TO NSW

NSW’s packed calendar of sporting events is attracting millions of tourists to NSW, with more than 3.5 million domestic and international overnight visitors travelling to NSW in the past year to participate in or attend a sporting event.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said, “In 2016, the millions of international and domestic overnight visitors, and day-trip visitors that came to the State to participate in or watch sport, represented a rise of almost 7 per cent on the previous year’s figures.

“These visitors stayed in NSW for 2.6 million nights, and contributed more than $909 million to the local visitor economy. This is a fantastic result and means more heads on beds for NSW hotels, increased restaurant reservations, and visitors to our State’s attractions in Sydney and rural and regional NSW.

“There are still plenty of great sporting events on the 2017 calendar with three of the biggest sporting events to be staged in NSW in the coming months.

“English Premier League giants, Liverpool FC will make a return to Sydney on 24 May to take on A-League winners Sydney FC, preceding Arsenal FC who will travel here for the first time to play two almost-sold-out matches against Sydney FC on 13 July and Western Sydney Wanderers on 15 July at ANZ Stadium. The College Football Sydney Cup is also returning with Stanford University taking on the Rice University at Allianz Stadium on 27 August."

All of these events are set to contribute to another stellar year of domestic and international visitation to NSW, maintaining the State’s spot as Australia’s number-one major events and tourism destination, and providing ample opportunity for the State’s tourism operators and industry to capitalise.