As Summer begins so does the peak for travel to Sydney, with 15 million visitors due to holiday in the city.* Aerial photographs and footage, some of which has never before been seen, reveal crystal clear waters, secluded beaches, dramatic coastline, cobalt blue skies and endless Summer fun – proving why Sydney remains one of international and domestic holidaymakers’ favourite destinations.
NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres said “Sydney truly dazzles during Summer – hotels are busy, restaurant bookings are strong, attractions typically experience peak visitation and the calendar is full of fantastic major events including Sydney Festival, Australia Day celebrations, the HSBC Rugby Sevens, among many others.”
According to Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Summer visitors will make the most of the city’s most famous assets and attractions.
Sydney’s amazing dining scene, dynamic shopping precincts and iconic beaches top the most popular warm weather activities for holidaymakers. 4.3 million visitors will dine out, another 2.1 million will shop in Sydney’s boutiques and shopping precincts, and 1.6 million will take a dip at one of Sydney’s world-famous beaches. More than 1.8 million visitors undertake self-drive holidays during the period, and day trips increase by 11 per cent.
International overnight visitors are likely to enjoy Sydney’s waterfront locations with 82 per cent visiting the Sydney Opera House, 75 per cent taking in the Sydney Harbour Bridge and 72 per cent stopping by Darling Harbour.
Australian visitors to Sydney will put a trip to Darling Harbour at the top of their itinerary with 38 per cent of visitors planning a trip to see the waterfront precinct. A further 25 per cent will visit The Rocks and 22 per cent will head to Bondi.
Getting back to nature is also a priority for holidaymakers with 424,000 heading into the bush to go bushwalking. The most popular national parks for visitors include the Blue Mountains, Kuring-gai Chase, Lane Cove and, of course, Sydney Harbour.
Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase recommends that holidaymakers visit Sydney.com to plan their trip.
“There’s nowhere else like Sydney and NSW in Summer. Holidaymakers should plan their adventure in Sydney to make the most of this spectacular time of the year,” she said.
Footage features drone imagery of Sydney Harbour, Barangaroo and sunset over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
View video here: https://vimeo.com/148050240
For more information on attractions and experiences in Sydney this Summer, visit www.sydney.com
Note to editors
Online galleries can be shared and tagged #ilovesydney. Sydney’s social media accounts are Facebook.com/seesydney, Twitter @sydney_sider and Instagram @Sydney.
For additional images go to http://images.destinationnsw.com.au/.
*Figures produced by Tourism Research Australia based on the December 2014 and March 2015 quarters.
Media contact
Melissa Wilson,
Senior Publicist,
Destination NSW
Tel: 02 9931 1156
E: Melissa.wilson@dnsw.com.au
About Destination NSW
Destination NSW is the lead Government agency for the New South Wales (NSW) tourism and major events sectors. Our role is to market Sydney and NSW as one of the world’s premier tourism and major events destinations; to secure major sporting and cultural events; to work in partnership with Business Events Sydney to win major international conventions and incentive travel reward programs; to develop and deliver initiatives that will drive visitor growth throughout the State; to achieve the NSW Government’s goal of doubling overnight visitor expenditure within the State by the year 2020.
From food and wine festivals to surf competitions, world class sporting events to celebrations of arts and culture, New South Wales has an Annual Calendar of Events that celebrates the diverse facets of Australian contemporary life. Sydney is unrivalled in Australia in its capacity to stage exclusive events that have the whole world tuning in. Destination NSW has been at the forefront in creating and winning world-class events that put Sydney on the global front page. For a full list of events in Sydney go to sydney.com
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