Our 2025 Visitor Economy Symposium is right around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited for this year’s awesome speaker and panel line up. Keep scrolling to find out more and register for our free annual event.
In this edition:
News & Announcements
Business & Skills Development, Resources, Events
Industry Insights
Local Updates
Grant & Funding Opportunities
It’s almost here!
Our 2025 Visitor Economy Symposium is just days away and it’s all happening Wednesday 14th May at The Pavilion Kiama. We can’t wait to welcome you for a day of insights, inspiration, and connection, all centred around this year’s theme: People, Productivity & Profit.
If you haven’t already, check out the program and get set for a day designed to support you and your business.
Keen to create or enhance your bookable visitor experiences? This free workshop is designed with you in mind and is perfect for anyone in the visitor economy. Whether you run accommodation, tours, a winery, distillery, brewery, farm gate, or other visitor attraction, you’ll walk away with valuable insights and tools.
You’ll learn: ⭐ The foundations of great visitor experiences ⭐ Understanding different types of visitors ⭐ Creating bookable experiences and refining existing ones to meet your visitors’ needs ⭐ Where to find tools, resources, and support
This workshop is part of the NSW First Program, delivered by Destination NSW.
This year’s Summit will bring together leaders in the wellness tourism space from around the globe, alongside operators and suppliers looking to grow their businesses or step into this industry.
Whether you work as an accommodation provider, spa, retreat, nature-based attraction, a destination specialist, travel advisor, media professional, wellness supplier or practitioner the Wellness Tourism Summit has been designed for you.
Early bird pricing is available until 30 June, plus a special discount for all NSW attendees until June 30. (Code NSW2025) .
The Outdoor Industry Summit is coming to Canberra in 2025!
📍 Canberra 🗓️ 8-11 July 2025
The Outdoor Industry Summit 2025 returns to Canberra this July, offering a unique opportunity for outdoor industry professionals to gather, collaborate, and plan for the future. Held only once every two years, the summit is the key event that prepares the industry for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead over the next 24 months.
Hosted by Outdoors NSW & ACT at Thoroughbred Park in Lyneham, the summit will unite leaders, educators, practitioners, and stakeholders to explore critical themes around risk, resilience, sustainability, accessibility, AI and innovation in the outdoors.
Image: Crooked River Winery, Gerringong | Credit: Dee Kramer Photography
2025 Agritourism Summit
📍 Orange 🗓️ 12-13 August
Australia’s Agritourism Summit provides you with a place to connect with like-minded farmers with an interest in, or who are currently offering visitor experiences on their farm.
The Summit will provide practical and innovative ideas around Agritourism in Australia and how to collaborate with others in this space.
Learn from trailblazer farmers in this space who will share their tips and learnings from their own journeys. The Summit will also deep dive into what visitor are seeking and how to make this work within your existing farm operations.
Tickets are on sale for the Australian Festival Industry Conference 2025
📍 Brisbane 🗓️ 8–9 September 2025
Discounted tickets are on sale now for the Australian Festival Industry Conference (AFIC) 2025.
AFIC is the Asia Pacific’s leading industry meeting place for festival management personnel who deliver quality music, arts & culture, food & drink, ideas and sporting festivals.
Hear from some of the industry’s most experienced professionals, including our keynote speaker – festival industry heavyweight, John Rostron, CEO of the United Kingdom’s Association for Independent Festivals (AIF).
Celebrate the vibrant business community in our region with the Illawarra Business Awards
🗓️ Entry deadline: 13 June 2025
The Illawarra Business Awards celebrate the achievements of businesses and business leaders across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands. Whether you are a finalist, a sponsor, or simply a supporter of local businesses, your involvement helps to build a stronger, more resilient economy for all.
Nominations for the 2025 NSW Tourism Awards are now open!
Tourism operators across New South Wales — it’s time to shine! Nominations are now officially open for the 2025 NSW Tourism Awards, proudly delivered by NSW Tourism Association.
Following an extensive national review and wide-ranging industry consultation, this year’s program features a fresh, streamlined entry process designed to make participation easier, while maintaining the prestige and integrity that the awards are known for.
Key updates for 2025 include:
Simplified, refined questions
A reduced word count (now 4,000–7,500 words, down from 10,000)
A guided format to help you present your achievements with clarity and impact
Don’t miss your opportunity to be recognised as one of NSW’s tourism leaders. Enter today and celebrate the best our industry has to offer!
Did you know that over 4 million Australians live with a disability? Updating your accessibility
credentials on your ATDW Tourism Business Profile, will help you reach a broader audience and
show your commitment to providing a great experience for everyone.
Boost your visibilityand let potential customers know that your business is ready to accommodate their needs. Log in to the ATDW platform today to make sure your profile reflects your dedication to accessibility.
How accessible are your visitor communications?
Destinations around Australia have recognised the potential of the accessible tourism market and are responding by developing accessible experiences, accommodation and offerings that are not only exciting but inclusive. Yet, even with growing awareness and improvements, many visitors with disabilities struggle to find easy and reliable information about where to go or how to plan their trip.
To help destinations connect with this strong section of the market, and as part of our commitment to champion access and inclusion in the visitor economy, they’re offering a free Accessible and Inclusive Communication Audit and Report.
Tourism Australia update
The Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) and Tourism Australia have launched a three-year partnership to drive excellence in visitor experiences and sustainable tourism business practices. Through the partnership, Tourism Australia and ATIC will encourage business participation in the Sustainable Tourism Accreditation, Accessible Tourism, Tourism Emissions Reduction and Australian Tourism Awards
Regional NSW Visitor Profile (Year Ending Dec 2024)
A toolkit to support tourism businesses to engage with First Nations people and culture has been launched by Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator the Hon Don Farrell. Funded by the Australian Government, the toolkit is part of the Quality Tourism Framework, a set of accreditation and training programs from the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC).
Entries are open for the 2025 Australian Event Awards
Entries are open for the 2025 Australian Event Awards, with event professionals, producers, suppliers and creatives from across Australia invited to submit their best work for recognition on the national stage.
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].
Image Credit: Rachel Ware Photography.
Robertson’s Big Potato transforms into ‘Babe’
Robertson’s “Big Potato” has swapped its starchy roots for a cinematic twist, transforming into the “Pig Potato” to celebrate 30 years since the beloved film Babe was shot on family farms in the area.
Painted by Corrimal artist Samuel Hall, the iconic landmark now features Babe, Ferdinand the duck, and the three singing mice from the Oscar-nominated film — bringing a playful dose of nostalgia and community pride to Robertson.
The NSW Government’s Engine and Emerging Industries Loan pilot program was designed to support regionally based food and beverage manufacturers to adopt advanced manufacturing capabilities.
Through the program, eligible regional enterprises could apply for a low interest loan of between $100,000 and $1 million to fund investment in new technologies and equipment that would increase efficiency and productivity.
Apply now for the opportunity to be awarded one of eighteen (18) $4,500 subsidies to exhibit in the Flavours of NSW zone at Fine Food Australia 2025. Investment NSW is offering 12 subsidies, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is offering an additional 6 subsidies specifically to support regional NSW manufacturers.
Applications have now opened and close at 5pm AEDT on Monday 12 May 2025.
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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