Destination NSW

Destination NSW
Agency overview
Formed1 July 2011
Preceding agencies
  • Tourism NSW
  • Events NSW
  • Homebush Motor Racing Authority
  • Greater Sydney Partnership
JurisdictionNew South Wales
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Steve Cox[1], Chief Executive Officer
Parent DepartmentDepartment of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport
Key document
  • Destination NSW Act 2011
Websitewww.destinationnsw.com.au

Destination NSW is a New South Wales state government executive agency established in 2011 to support growth of tourism and events in New South Wales, Australia.[2] The agency falls within the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport of the New South Wales government.

Destination NSW run two consumer-facing websites, sydney.com and VisitNSW, to promote travel to Sydney and NSW both internationally and domestically.

Governance

Executive

The agency is managed on a daily basis by an executive team led by Steve Cox, the chief executive officer; and is structured into five divisions:

  • Engagement and Development
  • People and Culture
  • Events
  • Finance
  • Consumer Marketing

Board of Management

The Chief Executive Officer reports to a Board of Management that is appointed by the Minister. The Board comprises industry representatives with relevant skills and experience in tourism and events. As of December 2024, the Board comprised the following individuals:[3]

  • Sally Loane, Chairman
  • Anna Guillan AM, Deputy Chair
  • Clark Webb
  • Emma Hogan
  • The Hon. George Souris AM
  • Anne Loveridge
  • Elizabeth Mildwater, Secretary of the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport

Minister

The Board of Destination NSW is responsible to the Minister for Jobs and Tourism.[4] Ultimately, the Minister is responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales.

Alliances and sponsorships

On 23 September 2012 Sydney FC announced it had agreed a sponsorship deal with Destination NSW to promote tourism to Sydney.[5]

Destination NSW is the strategic sponsor of the 2017 World Polo Championship hosted by the Sydney Polo Club.[6] The event will take place in October 2017.[7] It is tournament that will see the world's eight best nations compete for the world title in Sydney's Hawkesbury region.[8]

Controversy

On 12 December 2022, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), the governing body of the top professional soccer leagues in Australia, announced that they had struck a deal with Destination NSW worth A$15 million to stage the 2023, 2024 and 2025 league finals in Sydney[9]—until that point, each final had been hosted by the competing team with the best league record, regardless of location. The move was met with universal derision and condemnation from clubs and fans,[10][11] with the APL accused of selling out the sport. After a number of high-profile protests by supporters' groups and prominent individuals in the game,[12][13][14] the decision was eventually reversed on 18 October 2023, with the APL instead agreeing to a "Unite Round" (one weekend where all matches are held in the same city) in Sydney in exchange for Destination NSW's financial support.[15][16] The APL's CEO, Danny Townsend, then resigned on 20 October to take up a new position in the Middle East.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Steve Cox CEO, Destination NSW". SXSW Sydney 2024. SXSW. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  2. ^ "About Us". destinationnsw.com.au. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Our Board". About us: Destination NSW. Government of New South Wales. January 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police (662)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 21 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Destination NSW takes Sydney FC to the world". footballaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 10 February 2013.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ "World Polo Championship in Hawkesbury". Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Dates set for XI FIP World Polo Championship in Sydney in 2017 - Destination NSW". www.destinationnsw.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  8. ^ "World Polo Championship Sydney 2017 - Campeonato Mundial de Polo". Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Why Sydney is the new home of the A-Leagues Grand Finals". KeepUp. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022.
  10. ^ Hytner, Mike (12 December 2022). "'Terrible decision': A-Leagues' move to sell off grand final rights to Sydney sparks fan anger". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022.
  11. ^ Rugari, Vince (12 December 2022). "'Absolute disgrace': A-League grand final move slammed by fans, owners and a Socceroo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022.
  12. ^ @craig_goodwin11 (12 December 2022). "I wanted to clear things up publicly. I may be in the video for the @aleaguemen choice to host Grand Finals in Sydney, but I do not support it" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 12 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Ward, Roy (17 December 2022). "Player injured, Melbourne derby abandoned after violent pitch invasion". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022.
  14. ^ Lerner, Ronny. "A-League Melbourne derby descends into chaos with violent pitch invasion". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022.
  15. ^ "A-Leagues scrap controversial Grand Final decision in favour of Unite Round". ABC News. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023.
  16. ^ Lynch, Joey (18 October 2023). "A-Leagues scrap Grand Final deal in favour of 'Unite Round". ESPN. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023.



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