What a night at the NSW Tourism Awards last week! We were thrilled to cheer on our incredible operators, and we couldn’t be prouder of the standout achievers from across our region: from gold-winning accommodation and breweries to silver-star food, wildlife, and winery experiences, and more. (See the full list of winners from our region in our LinkedIn post here.)
Coming up this week and next, we also have two exciting workshops you won’t want to miss. As always, please reach out to the team with any questions or feedback, we’re here to help.
In this edition:
News & Announcements
Business & Skills Development, Resources, Events
Industry Insights
Local Updates
Grants & Funding Opportunities
⏰ Coming up this week: Ride Ready Workshop with Destination Wollongong & DSSS
There’s still time to secure your spot at our Ride Ready Workshop, happening this week. If you’re looking to better attract and serve high-value cycling visitors, this session is designed for you.
With the Mt Kembla trails launching soon and our Bike Friendly Business Program continuing to grow, now is the perfect moment to upskill and connect with other operators who are gearing up for the cycling market.
What you’ll learn:
The role of cycle tourism in growing our destination
How to position your business to capture more of this booming market
Simple, practical ways to elevate your bike-friendly offering
How to leverage local cycling events to drive visitation and spend
You’ll also hear directly from local riders about small, achievable actions that can make a big difference to your business in 2026 and beyond.
📍 Mount Kembla Village Hotel, Wollongong | 📅 Thursday 4 December 2025 | 🎟️ Free to attend
🚀 Happening Soon: Deep Dive into International, Trade-Ready Workshop & Networking
Get practical, actionable insights to help your business tap into international markets. This workshop is designed for operators who are ready (or nearly ready) to work with trade and distribution partners.
You’ll gain a clear understanding of:
What it takes to activate your product for international audiences
How to connect with the right programs and pathways
What trade buyers are looking for right now
How to collaborate with other operators and package itineraries effectively
Join us to build confidence, strengthen partnerships, and get trade-ready.
📍 Linneaus Farm, Berry | 📅 Thursday 11 December 2025 | 🎟️ Free to attend
Destination NSW CEO Karen Jones | Credit: Drestination NSW
NSW Visitor Experiences Forum Insights Hub
The five pillars of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 were brought to life last week at the NSW Visitor Economy Forum 2025. Visit the Insights Hub to learn how Destination NSW will make it easier for people to visit the state, elevate the NSW and Sydney brands, drive growth through events, deliver immersive visitor experiences and leverage data and insights.
We recently released the 2025 Business Events Consumer Demand Project. The research, which surveyed 160 associations and 508 corporate decision makers from the incentive sector in 14 of Australia’s key markets.
Tasman Holiday Parks – Racecourse Beach wins at Awards of Excellence
Congratulations to the team at Tasman Holiday Parks – Racecourse Beach on being named NSW Holiday Park of the Year (More than 100 sites) at the 2025 Awards of Excellence! Their achievement highlights the outstanding visitor experience they continue to deliver.
City of Wollongong to host 2026 LGNSW Annual Conference
Wollongong has been announced as the host city for the 2026 Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Annual Conference, following a warm invitation from the Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown at the close of this year’s successful event held in Penrith.
Give the gift of Country this festive season
Discover Aboriginal Experiences is calling for a different kind of giving – one that doesn’t leave a trace of glitter or ribbon behind, and one that sustains culture and community. This Christmas, the national collective of more than 50 Aboriginal guided tourism operators encourages Australians to gift connection to Country through an Indigenous experience – meaningful, low-impact and deeply enriching – or by purchasing Aboriginal-crafted art and artefacts that will both last a lifetime and sustain 65,000 years of culture for generations to come.
Destination NSW releases annual report
Destination NSW has released its 2024-25 Annual Report, which provides a summary of the agency’s activities and performance, showing how public resources were applied during the reporting period. It features achievements and initiatives that were undertaken during the financial year ended 30 June 2025 to support the growth and sustainability of the NSW visitor economy.
2024-25 Tourism Investment Monitor results released
The Tourism Investment Monitor details investment in 3 key tourism segments. In 2024-25, the tourism investment pipeline consisted of 363 projects worth more than $20 million each, with a value of $74.5 billion. This is an increase of 17 projects and $11.1 billion on the previous year. Use the dashboard below to explore the investment pipeline data.
Discover what’s been happening across our industry.
To share your new product, experience or event, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
Regional snapshots: On the road with Kylie Bushby, Business Development Manager
Since returning from a much-earned break in early October, things certainly haven’t slowed down. The engagement and activity across our region has been non-stop…in the best possible way! I’ve been back on the road catching up with operators, partners and collaborators right across the network.
Recent highlights from my travels and conversations:
Met with members of the Bulli Districts Business Chamber, including: the Heritage Hotel, Resin Brewery, The Fritz Cafe & Bar, Millers Local Bakehouse, Stokes Lane, Bulli Markets, The Timbermill and Park Road Garage
With summer finally landing, the hype for the silly season has sprung upon us early and it’s shaping up to be a buzzing period for operators right across the region.
The sense of energy in our industry continues to grow as we head into the warmer months, with new experiences, collaborations and ideas coming to life. It is an exciting time to be part of shaping the future of our region’s visitor economy and I’m looking forward to supporting you all through a vibrant and opportunity-filled summer.
Arthur Boyd returns to Bundanon
Eleven works by one of Australia’s most beloved artists, Arthur Boyd, will be loaned to Bundanon Art Museum thanks to the Albanese Labour Government’s Sharing the National Collection program.
Bundanon is an Australian cultural institution and living arts centre that supports the arts through its residency, education, exhibition and performance programs.
Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne had a long association with Bundanon, buying first an adjoining property and moving there in the 1970s, and later purchasing Bundanon, which was then gifted to the nation for the enjoyment of artists and visitors.
MVP Ventures Program
The MVP Ventures Program is a grant initiative aimed at supporting businesses to commercialise innovative products, while attracting and retaining commercialisation activities in NSW. A total of $3 million is available each year through to the end of 2028-29.
The updates to the program address systemic equity gaps in early-stage funding by broadening access, particularly to those businesses founded by under-represented groups.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update.
Don’t forget between our updates you’ll find us on socials, head over to follow us onLinkedInand you’ll also find us onInstagram.
We also encourage you to share our updates with your networks, simply forward this email and they can register here.
Talk soon, The DSSS team
Destination Sydney Surrounds South acknowledges the Aboriginal Nations and Aboriginal People of the Sydney Surrounds South region as the traditional carers and custodians of the land that we all now live and work on. We pay our respect to Elders past and present. Destination Sydney Surrounds South values the diversity of this region and works in partnership with local Aboriginal communities to respectfully celebrate and share Aboriginal culture with visitors to the region and also with locals who live here.
