NEW DESTINATION NETWORK STRUCTURE GOES LIVE

NSW

The Destination Networks are the ‘shopfront’ for Destination NSW in regional NSW and play a vital role in growing the visitor economy of regional NSW by working closely with local government, tourism organisations, visitor economy businesses and a diverse network of stakeholders.

From 1 July 2022, changes to the network boundaries and structure are being rolled out across the state to ensure the regional visitor economy is set up for continued success and receives increased support at the local level in several key areas.  

In the Greater Sydney and surrounds region, minor changes to the Destination Sydney Surrounds South and Sydney Surrounds North boundaries have been made to reflect the Western Sydney City Deal and regional administrative structures across the NSW Government. As result, the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Penrith, and Wollondilly Local Government Areas are now included for administrative purposes in the Western Parkland City and the Greater Sydney region. This amendment also reflects the NSW Government’s increasing focus on infrastructure and planning across Greater Sydney, particularly for the areas surrounding the new Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport. 

To support this transition, Destination NSW is recruiting a new Manager Local Government to provide advice and support to councils in Greater Sydney on ways to grow their local visitor economy and provide a concierge service for local government to the full range of visitor economy development services which Destination NSW offers. 

One of the most significant changes to the network structure is the creation of a new Destination Network for Central West NSW. This is designed to increase resources for well-established visitor destinations in the region, including Bathurst, Orange and Mudgee. In response to stakeholder feedback on the original proposal to establish the new entity, the Local Government Areas of Forbes, Lachlan and Parkes have been incorporated into the new Destination Central West NSW boundary.

In other amendments, the proposed relocation of Snowy Valleys Local Government Area from Destination Riverina Murray to Destination Southern NSW was also reviewed in response to stakeholder feedback. This process determined that remaining in Destination Riverina Murray was the best fit for Snowy Valleys Council and would deliver the best opportunities for visitor economy recovery and growth.  

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the NSW Government was committed to growing the visitor economy of regional NSW with the right framework in place to support visitor growth, job creation, skills development and stakeholder engagement.  

“We are proud of our track record of supporting the regional visitor economy, including the establishment of the Destination Networks, and these changes give the Networks an even stronger and more sustainable framework to support our growth targets,” Mr Toole said.  

Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said the Destination Networks played a key role in delivering the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030, including our target of $25 billion in regional overnight visitor expenditure by 2030.

“We have a vision of making NSW the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific and it is critical the regional visitor economy is supported appropriately to help achieve this,” Mr Ayres said. 

The NSW Government established the original six Destination Networks in 2016 following a review of regional tourism to improve regional stakeholder engagement and better support the regional NSW visitor economy.  

Click here for a video announcing the new Destination Network Central West NSW.