Image: Dive Jervis Bay, Huskisson | Credit: Stella Crick
Welcome to Destination Download
Welcome to Destination Download. March is shaping up to be a busy one! From hands-on accessibility workshops across the region to a packed calendar of webinars covering everything from AI in tourism to event funding. We’re also excited to share news of support for Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses, celebrate Wollongong’s turn in the spotlight at the Ford Women’s NSW Open, and look ahead to the DSSS Symposium on 27 May. Get the diary ready and explore what’s on offer, there really is a lot happening! As always, if you’d rather pick up the phone for a chat, we’re here to support you.
In this edition:
News & Announcements
Business & Skills Development, Resources, Events
Industry Insights
Local Updates
Image Credit: Charlie Hardy
Applications are open for Festivals Australia
Delivered by the Office for the Arts, Round 22 of the Festivals Australia program supports innovative arts projects presented at festivals and significant community events in regional and remote Australia, including performances, workshops, exhibitions and installations.
With $740,000 in available funding, now is the perfect time to consider submitting an application.
Applications are now open, closing on 17 March 2026, for projects starting from 1 July 2026.
Destination NSW and Bookable Tourism together have launched ‘Be Bookable Online‘, a free program designed to support Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses with implementing online booking software, enabling travellers to book and pay for experiences online.
Over six months, up to 30 businesses across Sydney and regional NSW will receive: ▶️ One-on-one mentoring and support ▶️ Assistance selecting and setting up online booking software ▶️ $950 credit toward subscription costs and booking fees ▶️ Listing setup with up to three online travel agents ▶️ Ongoing monthly check-ins and a wrap-up session
Travellers with accessible needs contribute $29.2B annually and account
for 1 in 5 trips in Australia.
Join our practical, hands-on workshop Beyond the Ramp next week in Shellharbour, Nowra and Bowral to learn simple, low-cost ways to create more welcoming visitor experiences and grow your business. Duration is four hours.
Workshop registrations will close on Thursday 5 March at 6.00pm to allow sufficient time for all participants to receive and complete the required pre-work prior to the workshop.
Designed for tourism & hospitality operators.
INDUSTRY WORKSHOPS & WEBINARS
March
Destination NSW NSW First Program – NSW Visitor Experiences – State of Play
Wednesday 4 March | Webinar | 2-3 pm | Register here
Invitation to participate in Visitor Economy Insurance Survey
Austrade and Griffith University are co-funding research into improving public liability insurance for Australian visitor experiences. You are invited to participate in a 10-minute survey to share the impacts of insurance challenges and your views on actions to improve insurance for the visitor economy. International education is a key contributor to this sector.
New NSW First resource: Nature-based tourism
Part of the NSW First program, this resource page is dedicated to nature-based tourism. It includes insights and tips for visitor economy businesses to create great nature-based experiences.
Heartland: a plan for regional NSW arts, culture and creative industries 2026–2035
Despite record-high interest in Australian travel, website clicks are dropping as AI begins answering traveller questions directly on the search page. This session breaks down how to reclaim your visibility by mastering the new “citation game,” some immediate technical wins, and creating the high-authority content that AI gatekeepers prioritise.
Date: Fri 6 March
Time: 11:00am AEDT
Western Sydney International Airport preview
Destination NSW hosted a first look at Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) last week for tourism operators and agents, ahead of the first passenger flights landing in October 2026.
Key Inbound Tour Operators (ITOs) and Online Travel Agents (OTAs) joined the exclusive preview, which provided valuable insight into the terminal’s facilities and the surrounding visitor economy infrastructure.
New updates for Retail Trading pages
The NSW Government has recently published updates to the Retail Trading webpages. Here’s what’s been refreshed:
Suspicious email circulating claiming to be a part of the NSW tourism industry
Destination NSW has received reports of emails from a company calling itself New South Wales Tourism, requesting operators to review their business details on their website. This company and its website are not affiliated with Destination NSW. If any operator receives an email or invoice from this organisation, please disregard it.
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]
Wollongong hosts the Ford Women’s NSW Open
Last week, Wollongong hosted the Ford Women’s NSW Open in Wollongong and we were thrilled to be in attendance, hosting a number of industry partners.
It was a fantastic opportunity to connect, showcase our region on a global stage, and experience firsthand the calibre of this internationally recognised event.
Major events like this play such an important role in driving mid-week, off-peak visitation and highlighting the amazing destinations across our region.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and to Destination NSW for supporting these important events.
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 and Facebook.
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.
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