AUSTRALIA | Sydney saw in the new year with extravagant fireworks, but it's not the only tourist hub in New South Wales this summer.
A strong tourism events program, coupled with strong Sydney occupancy figures leading into the holiday period, means a bumper January for hotels in Greater Sydney, the head of the nation’s peak accommodation body said.
Accommodation Australia CEO James Goodwin said the Minns Government should be congratulated for a line-up of more than 20 cultural and sporting events which is seeing tourism dollars flowing into Sydney and regional NSW.
“Sydney really is the home of world-class events and that’s on display right now,” Goodwin said.
“On the back of the NYE fireworks, we have the United Cup at Ken Rosewell Arena and the New Year’s Ashes Test both underway in the city, and the Sydney Festival gets underway in just a few days. That’s an estimated AUD 250 million spend in the visitor economy with accommodation hotels, pubs, restaurants, retailers and transport providers all directly benefiting.”
Sydney’s occupancy figures were already strong in December, with an average occupancy across the whole city of 80.3 percent (up 3.7 percent on last year) and 83.6 percent in the city centre (up 3.1 percent). These events will hopefully build on that and bring smiles to people’s faces after a tragic end to 2025.
Goodwin said events like the Ashes were vital to the State’s economy, bringing in dedicated tourist groups like the “Barmy Army” from the UK.
“Every major event means more tourists, more tourism dollars, more hotel rooms filled, more tables in cafes and restaurants booked, and that means more jobs for the people of Sydney, everyone benefits,” he said.
Goodwin said that regional New South Wales has been left out either, with thousands of people descending on Parkes for its annual Elvis Festival, as well as events like the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
“I congratulate the Premier and his Tourism Minister Steve Kamper for their efforts in helping to boost the tourism economy in 2026.”
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