Tourism pulls in 5% of GDP - Sydney Tourism News

The proceeds of tourism were worth $72 billion, or about 5 per cent of the country's gross domestic product, to the Australian economy in 2009-10, new statistics show.

The latest research from Tourism Research Australia reveals that the direct proceeds from tourism in that year were at $33.9 billion, an increase of 3.2 per cent on the previous period.

Indirect proceeds, or funds generated because of tourism but through other industries, totalled $37.8 billion.

Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said the sector was often overlooked but the figures proved what a significant money-maker tourism was for Australia.

"Tourism is much more than just travel agents and tour guides," Mr Ferguson said in a statement.

"It is clear that efforts to help tourism grow by cutting red tape, boosting skills and improving the quality and offering of tourism products will produce huge flow-on benefits."

The tourism industry is seen by statisticians as one of the top multipliers of the economy with an output value of 1.91.

This means that for every dollar tourism creates, another 91 cents is generated somewhere else, ranking it higher than retail (1.80), mining (1.67) and education (1.38).

According to the statistics, tourism also employs some 7.9 per cent of the workforce, or 876,400 people.

The government has promised to unveil an updated long-term tourism strategy before the end of the year.

It wants to achieve a new record for tourism dollars, having peaked in 2000-01 at 7.9 per cent of the economy thanks to the Sydney Olympics and the introduction of the GST.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/tourism-pulls-in-5-of-gdp-20111010-1lgii.html#ixzz1aQx8bXu9

NSW Welcomes ‘Outstanding’ Growth

Withstanding the strong Aussie dollar, domestic tourism into NSW experienced strong growth for the month of June compared the corresponding month last year, the first time in eight years.

The state welcomed an 11 percent increase in domestic visitors while the number of nights stayed also rose by up to 12 percent and doubled the national average, according to figures released by Tourism Research Australia.

Boosting the state’s domestic arrival growth for the year ending June 2011 to 24.1 domestic overnight visitors, Minister for Tourism George Souris described the growth as “outstanding” and a relief to achieving planned goals.

“This bodes well for the NSW Government’s target of doubling overnight tourism expenditure by 2020,” Mr Souris explained.

“NSW has increased its share of total domestic visitors to 35 per cent with Victoria and Queensland recording a 24 per cent share.

“This strong performance has meant an additional 4.2 million nights to NSW in the year ending June 2011, injecting an additional $782 million into our State’s economy.

According to the Minister, Sydney saw the strongest growth for the period with a rise of up to 21 percent in visitors and 19 percent in visitor nights.

Regional NSW also welcomed a rise with a three percent increase in visitors and an additional $273 million in spending.

(Source: etravelblackboard.com)

Of Mice and Men - Opera Australia

Of Mice and Men - Opera Australia Overview The praise just keeps coming for award-winning tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. Now, at last, he makes his Sydney debut in a signature role, Lennie, in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men. George and Lennie are migrant farmhands during the Great Depression. Their only home is a communal bunkhouse under the lonely prairie skies. But they are different to their fellow workers. They have a plan, a dream of buying a farm and making a life. If, that is, George can keep Lennie, who has the strength of a giant, but the mind of a child, out of trouble… Legendary film director Bruce Beresford continues his exploration of New World opera with the Australian premiere Of Mice and Men, based on John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella.

Contact (+61 2) 9318 8200
Website www.opera-australia.org.au
Location Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW 2000