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Millions of extra airline seats, tens of thousands of hotel rooms and a focus on experience-led tourism will transform the state’s visitor economy into a $91 billion powerhouse as set out in a government review of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy.

The Minns Government will adopt a more ambitious goal of $91 billion in annual visitor economy expenditure by 2035 – a 40% increase on the previous goal. The accelerated growth is expected to provide a big economic windfall for regional communities, with $44 billion (48%) of the $91 billion expected to be spent in regional NSW. 

This ambitious growth trajectory will further cement tourism as a critical pillar of future growth in the NSW economy, driving up to 150,000 new jobs by 2035.

The next decade of growth in the visitor economy will be underpinned by a potential increase of 8.5 million airline seats due to the new Newcastle Airport international terminal opening in 2025, the opening of the Western Sydney International Airport in 2026, increased capacity at Sydney Airport and growth in cross-border arrivals through Canberra Airport and Gold Coast Airport.

The Minns government has already been working to boost aviation capacity through support for the recently announced Turkish Airlines route to Sydney Airport and an agreement to support Newcastle Airport to attract more international routes.

This additional capacity will increase competition, providing a greater incentive for European travellers to choose NSW as their holiday destination and put downward pressure on the cost of holidays for NSW families.

To meet the $91 billion stretch goal, the review highlights key challenges including:

• The need for 40,000 extra hotel rooms, a 41% increase on what’s currently available
• Significant worker and skills shortages in roles such as tour guides and chefs
• Need for increased business event facilities in Sydney, Western Sydney and priority regional areas.

The review sets out a series of recommendations for achieving the stretch goal including:

• Prioritise the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy as a government-wide economic focus.
• Anchor the Visitor Economy Strategy around ‘experience tourism’
• Celebrate First Nations culture and businesses through authentic visitor experiences.
• Increase accommodation quality across regional NSW and quantity in Greater Sydney.
• Boost aviation capacity in key domestic and international markets.
• Leverage leisure events to grow season al visitation and showcase NSW’s strengths.
• Dominate Australia’s business events sector.
• Capitalise on NSW’s status as being number one for international students.
• Foster a diverse, skilled visitor economy workforce.

The Minns government has begun work on attracting more business events with a $1.5 million increase in funding for Business Events Sydney in FY25.

Confirming the international appeal of the experiences on offer in Sydney, last week the NSW capital was voted ‘best city in the world’ in the Condè Nast Traveller UK’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. The poll cited Sydney’s ‘unique, indoor-outdoor way of life’ which speaks directly to the review’s recommendation to focus the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy on ‘experience tourism.’

The NSW visitor economy is the biggest in Australia, achieving a record $53 billion in expenditure in FY24 and employing almost 300,000 workers. The NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 had a target of $65 billion. The review into the 2030 strategy will inform the new NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035, which will be released in the coming months.

A summary of the review of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 is available here.

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“From pristine beaches to lush national parks, NSW is an unbeatable hotspot for tourists across the globe.

“People coming to New South Wales for a holiday is at an all time high, but this review shows there are opportunities to grow it even more, partially due to more airports opening and more flight routes being secured.

“We are ready to put our shoulder to the wheel and attract even more travellers to NSW, boosting local business and creating thousands of jobs.”

Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:

“This is a very exciting moment for the NSW visitor economy. We’re taking a sector that is already very strong and raising our ambitions even higher.

“This review dares us to dream big, but it also outlines the hard work needed to meet the opportunity.

“To reach this ambitious new target we need to build more hotel rooms, attract and train more workers and create and market the experiences that connect visitors with the culture, nature and people of NSW.

“NSW has the nature, the culture and incredible experiences. We just need to match it with hard work and planning.”

More than 3,900 students across NSW have already benefitted from the Minns Labor Government’s $120 million investment in tertiary health study subsidies, with all subsidies now awarded for the 2024 calendar year.

The recipients of the subsidies include 1,840 nursing students, 280 midwifery students, 1,020 allied health, 520 medical students and 262 paramedical students.

Students beginning their degrees will receive subsidies of $4,000 per year over three years.

The subsidies, announced as part of the 2023-24 Budget, are also expected to support a further 8,000 healthcare students over the next four years.

Students seeking to receive the subsidy in 2025 can apply from mid-January 2025 and must be willing to make a five-year commitment to the NSW public health system.

The subsidies form part of a series of measures introduced by the Minns Labor Government to further strengthen the state’s health workforce, including:

• Implementing the Safe Staffing Levels initiative in our emergency departments
• Providing permanent funding for 1,112 FTE nurses and midwives on an ongoing basis
• Abolishing the wages cap and delivering the highest pay increase in over a decade for nurses and other health workers
• Beginning to roll out 500 additional paramedics in regional, rural and remote communities.

The full list of 2025 eligible workforce groups will be available in October 2024 on the NSW Health website.

Premier Chris Minns:

“I am so pleased more than 3,900 people across NSW have already benefitted from our health worker study subsidies.

“The subsidies help students with costs such as fees, technology, travel, and helps us keep talented people here in NSW, working in the country’s largest public health system.

“Attracting skilled healthcare workers is a longstanding challenge, and while there is a long way to go rebuilding our healthcare system, we are committed to doing it so that people can access the care they need, when they need it.”

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“We are shoring up the future of our health workforce in NSW and we’re honouring our election commitment to reducing financial barriers to studying healthcare.

“When we boost our health workforce we improve health outcomes, it’s as simple as that.

“It’s encouraging to see such a strong subscription of these subsidies.”

The Minns Labor Government has released the findings of a major statewide survey, revealing widespread community concerns about the impact of social media on children, young people, and broader society.

The survey, conducted between 11 August and 15 September this year, engaged more than 21,000 participants from across the state through the ‘Have Your Say’ platform.

This is the largest response to a ‘Have Your Say’ public consultation to date.

It found that 87 per cent of respondents support implementing age restrictions for social media use, with 16 being the most suggested minimum age.

This sentiment was particularly strong among parents, with 91 per cent of those with children aged 5-17 advocating for age limits.

The survey reveals a growing concern over the time young people spend on social media, with those aged 16-17 averaging over three hours per day. This trend begins as early as 10-12 years old, where 70 per cent of children are already using social media, and usage steadily increases with age.

Additionally, 35 per cent of parents of 13-15 year olds, especially in single-parent households, report that social media has a ‘negative’ or ‘very negative’ impact on their child’s life.

Parents cited concerns over excessive screen time leading to issues such as addiction, exposure to inappropriate content and the detrimental effect on their children’s daily responsibilities.

Young people themselves echoed some of this sentiment, with 66 per cent of 16-17 year olds expressing that social media distracts them from essential tasks such as schoolwork and family obligations.

The survey highlights a clear correlation between time spent on social media and negative outcomes reported by parents. Parents whose children use social media for more than four hours a day were more than twice as likely to note negative impacts on their child’s life, compared to parents whose children spend less than an hour a day online. 

The most frequently mentioned issues include ‘cyber security risks’, ‘exposure to harmful content’, and ‘concerns over how social media usage is affecting children’s behaviour’. Notably, parents of younger children who lack rules or safety measures often cited uncertainty about what to implement, signalling a need for more guidance and solutions.

The insights gathered from the survey will play a crucial role in shaping discussions at the upcoming Social Media Summit.

Jointly hosted by the NSW Government and the Government of South Australia, the first of its kind two-day, two-state event will bring together experts, policymakers, young people, and community voices to discuss strategies to combat the negative impacts of social media and foster a more positive digital future.

The summit will start at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on Thursday, 10 October and continue the following day at Adelaide’s Convention Centre.

Further details about the summit, including full event schedules and online live streaming information, will be released soon.

To see the full report of survey findings and to stay updated on the summit, visit www.nsw.gov.au/socialmediasummit.

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:

“The community has spoken, and the message is clear. Parents are concerned about how social media is impacting the lives of young people.

“The huge response to this survey sends a powerful message about the extent of community concern.

“Parents and children are rightly concerned about this giant global unregulated experiment on young people.

“The feedback we’ve received will guide discussions at the Social Media Summit and help the government as we respond to the harmful aspects of social media.”

As New South Wales enters a long weekend the Minns Labor Government is reminding the community that domestic, family and sexual violence is never acceptable.

With large events over the weekend, where many will be celebrating and consuming alcohol, I ask everyone to play a part in ensuring that all members of the community are safe and respected.

If you witness unacceptable behaviour, call it out.

If you are concerned about the safety of someone you know, or your own, please contact:

The NSW Domestic Violence Line on: 1800 656 463

Or, 1800 RESPECT on: 1800 737 732

If it is an emergency, please contact Triple Zero: 000

We know that at times of large events there is a concerning trend of increased instances of domestic, family and sexual violence.

Sadly, as many in the community gather this weekend in celebration, there will be others who do not feel safe in their own homes, who are the victims of domestic abuse.

The Minns Labor Government is committed to taking meaningful and ongoing action to ensure women across the state are safe, but we know we cannot do this without the community’s help.

This long weekend, check on your friends, do not ignore signs of concerning behaviour and help us in our work towards creating a safer New South Wales. The stakes are far too high for anyone to not play their part.

For those experiencing domestic and family violence, you have a right to safety and help is available.

Support available:

In an emergency, where there is an immediate risk of harm, contact emergency services on Triple Zero (000)

NSW Domestic Violence Help Line: 1800 65 64 63

1800RESPECT: 1800 7377 32

Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 18 00

Further information on if you suspect and want to help someone in a domestic violence situation is available here.

Information on how to spot the signs of coercive control is available here. 

A record breaking number of people have ditched cars for the Minns Labor Government’s expanded Snowy Mountains Bus Service which has hit a major milestone of more than 90,000 customer journeys for the first time.

This snow season has been the service’s most successful ever, with more than 10,000 additional journeys taken compared to the 2023 season.

The success of the service has led to improved road safety, with Transport for NSW estimating about 30,000 fewer car trips have been taken to and from the Alpine slopes due to the availability of the bus service.

The winter school holidays was unsurprisingly the busiest period this year, with an additional 50 services scheduled to manage the demand. Between 8 and 28 July, 409 services ran at 100 per cent capacity – or about 20 per cent of all services.

Feedback from passengers was again overwhelmingly positive, with 90 per cent of those surveyed saying they would use the service again.

The Snowy Mountains Bus Service for 2024 will conclude on 6 October.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:

“The Minns Labor Government is proud to have supported another successful season for the Snowy Mountains Bus Service which is going from strength to strength.

“In response to this growing demand, we delivered an expansion of routes to include a Cooma via Berridale to Jindabyne service while more trips were also added to support the school holiday peak.

“Increased services led to improved safety on our roads at the busiest times for the snowfields, contributing to fewer journeys by car on roads impacted by ice and snow.

“The convenience was experienced by both locals and visitors to our region who not only used the bus as a reliable way to get to the snow, but also to access our mountain trails for other recreational activities.”

Member for Monaro Steve Whan said:

“The Snowy Mountains Bus Service continues to offer a reliable public transport option improving access to the snowfields for workers, visitors and locals. This also means less cars on the road which is a great safety outcome.

“The service allows a stress-free journey to the snowfields for all snow goers and takes the stress off drivers who might not have much experience driving in the alpine conditions.”