City invests in tourism as visitors, expenditure soars

With visitation to the city and tourism expenditure soaring by almost 60 per cent during the past five years, the City of Newcastle is delivering on its commitment to grow the visitor economy.

A new City Guide has been launched to provide a modern tourism offering to the five million domestic and international visitors spending time in our local government area each year.

The City Guide, along with a new Visit Newcastle website, are part of a suite of projects being completed by the City’s dedicated tourism team to promote the attractions and experiences we have to offer.

The launch follows our recent announcement that the City will convert the former Civic Station into a modern Visitor Information Centre, due to open in the first half of 2020.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said tourism has a vital role to play in Newcastle’s transformation into a smart, liveable and sustainable global city.

“Newcastle is a vibrant and experience-rich destination loved by both domestic and international visitors,” she said.

“The city’s tourism industry is booming, attracting 20 per cent more visitors in the past 12 months compared to the same time last year, while the longer five-year trend has seen visitor numbers rise by more than 58 per cent.

“Those who chose to come to Newcastle are also staying longer and spending more, with expenditure in the 12 months to March this year worth more than $1.1 billion to the local economy.

“City of Newcastle is committed to investing in projects such as the new City Guide and Visit Newcastle website, which will enhance the visitor experience and provide inspiration for travellers looking for their next day-trip or holiday destination.”

The free Newcastle City Guide will be widely available at businesses, attractions and events across the region, as well as at visitor information centres across the State.

The experience-driven brochure showcases the activities and precincts available across our beautiful coastal city, while the Visit Newcastle website will deliver a more intuitive, user-friendly experience.

Tourism figures compiled for the local government area by Tourism Research Australia highlight a positive trend in Newcastle’s visitor economy during the past five years, with increases across domestic day-trippers (62.3%), domestic overnight visitors (54.9%), and international travellers (16%).

The value of the tourism economy has also expanded significantly, experiencing a five-year increase of 57.6 per cent to be worth $1.127 billion in the 12 months to March 2019.

The five-year figures were compiled from the year ending March 2015, through to the year ending March 2019.

The Newcastle City Guide is being rolled out now while the new Visit Newcastle website will be launched in the coming weeks.