New grants, events, training, and industry updates are here in your July edition. Plus, check out what’s buzzing on the ground across our region and beyond.
It’s been a big month for our region! From award finalists and funding wins to the launch of new trails and events and a brand-new industry jobs platform, there’s plenty to celebrate.
In this edition, we’ve rounded up new grant opportunities, key workshop and event dates, helpful tools for operators, and some exciting local initiatives, including a fresh visitor stats update and the latest from our BDM, Kylie, who has been out on the road.
In this edition:
News & Announcements
Business & Skills Development, Resources, Events
Industry Insights
Local Updates
Grant & Funding Opportunities
2025 IMB Bank Illawarra Business Awards finalists announced
We’re thrilled to see such strong representation from Visitor Economy businesses and local Chambers among the 2025 IMB Bank Illawarra Business Awards finalists!
These businesses and leaders have already made their mark locally, and now they’re being recognised across the Illawarra and Southern Highlands.
🌟 Outstanding Business Leader
Matthew Radnidge – Symbio Wildlife Park, Helensburgh
🌟 Outstanding New Business
Dharawal Distilling Co, Bellambi
Shellharbour Marina, Shell Cove
🌟 Excellence in Micro Business
Italian Cooking Experience with Stefano Marvello, Moss Vale
🌟 Outstanding Local Chamber
Berry Chamber of Commerce and Tourism
Kiama Business Network
Robertson Business Chamber
Shoalhaven Business Chamber
🌟 Outstanding Visitor Experience
Cupitt’s Estate, Ulladulla
Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Shellharbour, Barrack Heights
Symbio Wildlife Park, Helensburgh
The Links Shell Cove
🌟 Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
Cupitt’s Estate, Ulladulla
Symbio Wildlife Park, Helensburgh
We’re proud to see your innovation, passion, and resilience celebrated. Best of luck on Awards Night, we look forward to being there with you to celebrate!
Open Streets Program 2025-2028 fund recipients announced
The Open Streets Programis an open competitive grant program open to all councils across NSW. The Program aims to transform our streets into vibrant, walkable public spaces for people to enjoy and safely access through free community events and activations.
Applications were open to all local councils within NSW and closed on 14 March 2025. 46 councils have been funded up to $350,000 to deliver three years of street events and activations.
Congratulations to the councils in our patch who were successful recipients of the fund: Shellharbour City Council, Eats and Beats Street Series and Wollongong City Council, Surf and Sound Thirroul.
Join Destination NSW and cruise industry experts to find out how you can create, enhance, and deliver authentic cruise shore experiences and how to attract visitors before and after their cruise.
This free webinar will suit all visitor economy businesses, including tours, activities, visitor attractions, and accommodation providers that have an interest in the cruise segment and want to learn more about how to get involved.
In this session: 🌊 Explore current cruising trends and understand the value of the cruise sector 🌊 Gain practical tips for creating shore experiences that meet cruisers’ expectations 🌊 Hear success stories from visitor economy businesses already thriving in the cruise market 🌊 Learn about cruise distribution channels and how to effectively collaborate with the cruise travel trade.
This webinar is presented by Destination NSW as part of the NSW First Program, designed to assist visitor economy businesses to develop, promote and sell great visitor experiences.
New online platform built for the visitor economy industry
eegeris a new online platform built for the Tourism, Hospitality, and Travel industries. It’s designed to support job seekers, employers and organisations across the visitor economy. Job seekers will be able to find jobs, explore career paths, read real career stories, and access training programs – both accredited and non-accredited. Employers can post jobs for free throughout 2025, find training for their teams, and access resources to help improve their business and workforce.
We encourage our region’s talented culinary leaders, event producers, restaurants and hospitality innovators to submit their boldest, and most creative food experience concepts.
This is a great opportunity to help us highlight the best of NSW’s food and drink on a global stage. Please note that EOIs close on 26 September 2025.
Guide to becoming a more accessible tourism business
Accessible tourism is a major opportunity for tourism operators. The WELCOME Framework, produced by Austrade with state and territory governments and Tourism Australia, has easy, practical tips to make your business more inclusive.
DoTS replaces the National Visitor Survey (NVS), which Austrade’s Tourism Research Australia (TRA) used for 27 years to measure domestic travel.
DoTS uses enhanced data-collection methods to ensure Australia’s tourism statistics continue to be of the highest quality.
Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund lands its first route
Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund has secured a critical route with Air New Zealand set to fly into Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI).
The services from Auckland are the first to be supported by the government’s Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund, which incentivises international airlines to fly into WSI ahead of its opening in late 2026, and follow Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Jetstar (domestic) as early champions of Australia’s first major greenfield airport in 50 years.
TAFE course to boost tourism skills
The visitor economy is thriving and the TAFE NSW Certificate III in Tourism has been created to help build a future-ready workforce. This nationally recognised qualification provides a mixture of theory and practical course work designed to close critical skills gaps and equip staff with job-ready expertise.
International Visitor Survey (IVS) results
Tourism Research Australia’s IVS results for the March quarter 2025 are now published. The results provide statistics on how overseas visitors travelled in Australia during the March quarter 2025.
In the March quarter 2025, international visitors took 2.1 million trips to Australia and spent $12.8 billion in Australia.
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 from the road with our Business Development Manager, Kylie Bushby
It’s been a busy and energising few weeks connecting with passionate operators, uncovering new visitor experiences, and taking part in industry conversations that shape the future of our region. Here are just a few of the operators and experiences I’ve had the pleasure of visiting:
Business Illawarra’s up and coming event at Kembla Grange
Presentation at the Business Southern Highlands Visitor Economy Chamber meeting
Our region was strongly represented at the recent Destination NSW Business Events Showcase, generating significant interest from meetings and events buyers for future opportunities across the region.
There’s real momentum building across the region, and it’s been fantastic to see ideas turning into action. If you’ve got something in the works or would like to explore opportunities together, I’d love to connect…whether in person or virtually. Book a time to chat with me here
Blenheim Beach, Vincentia, Credit: Destination NSW
Artist-led open studio trail launches in Jervis Bay
There’s a new cultural attraction on the South Coast with an artist-led initiative taking place every month across the Jervis Bay & Basin region – the Jervis Bay Arts Trail.
On the last Saturday each month, up to 20 local artists open their studios to visitors, showing their unique processes, materials and works-in-progress. The artists also have finished works for sale, including framed paintings and photographs, wearable art, greeting cards and gifts.
We were so thrilled to be part of the official launch of the Jervis Bay Arts Trail, a fantastic new initiative bringing art lovers and artists together.
Our GM, Shannan, had the honour of speaking at the launch, sharing why supporting creative communities like this matters so much.
A big thanks to the incredible artists making this Trail come to life. We’re proud to be part of something so inspiring!
Tickets for New South Wales’ most anticipated new festival, the Horizontal Festival are now on sale. Taking place at Centennial Vineyards in the Southern Highlands from 4 to 5 October 2025, the curated sensory journey will see regional and local producers, brewers, distillers and winemakers showcased alongside an engaging program of live performances.
Across four-hour day and evening sessions, the General Admission $59 per person ticket includes entry, wine and cheese tastings, a take home festival glass and an opportunity to meet firsthand with purveyors. Horizontal Festival is supported proudly by the NSW Government through Destination NSW.
Applications for Regional Arts Fund Project Grants officially opened on 1 July, 2025 for projects starting in the next calendar year (2026).
The Regional Arts Fund is an ongoing program that provides approximately $6 million per year to support artists and communities in regional and remote areas across Australia. The Regional Arts Fund is part of the Australian Government’s Arts and Cultural Development Program that supports participation in, and access to, Australia’s arts and culture through developing and supporting cultural expression.
The Project Grants fund high-quality arts projects benefitting regional or remote artists, arts workers, audiences and communities. The focus of the project could include any area of creative practice, multiple art forms or cross-disciplinary practice.
Delivering this vital support is designed boost an industry facing significant challenges including unpredictable ticket sales, a retraction in music festivals and competition from international artists on streaming services.
The 2024/2025 Sound NSW grants include two new funds specifically designed to boost First Nations artists, and a new industry development fund that backs organisations crucial to building skills, networks and new collaborations.
There is also a significant support for regional music with 29% of the Contemporary Music Development Grants and 30% of the Touring and Travel Fund going to regional recipients.
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.
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