100 Years of Tourism New South Wales

Statistics (1905 - 2005)

1905

• An estimated 5,200 short term overseas visitors to NSW.
• A State budget of three thousand and eighty pounds, five shillings and seven pence is allocated to promote New South Wales as a holiday destination.

1906

• An advertising budget of £1,000 is paid to Tobey Advertising Co. in New York to promote the State of New South Wales to tourists in the USA.

1907

• "the Intelligence Department was fully functioning with a staff of seven".

1910

• The New South Wales Tourist Bureau receives averages 250 inquiries per day.
• It is estimated that 80,000 - 100,000 visitors to Sydney are dealt with by the Bureau officials.
• Jenolan Caves welcomes 17,337 inspections annually.
• 10,000 copies of "New South Wales: A Holiday Ground for the Tourist" are produced.

1914

• Jenolan Caves experiences a record number of visitors - 9,638 who made 27,961 inspections.

1915

• An estimated 12,800 short term overseas visitors to NSW.

1920

• There are 62,000 cars on the road. Only the relatively well-off can afford cars.

1925

• 12,800 short term overseas visitors to NSW.

1929

• The Wall Street Crash and the ensuing market collapse in Australia, sees unemployment in Sydney rise to more than 30 per cent.

1930

• By the late 1930s five million surf bathers and 14 million passengers have travelled to Bondi Beach by tram or bus.

1935

• Luna Park opens on land originally set aside for workshops used during the building of the Harbour Bridge. It provides visual proof that the Depression in Australia is over, even though unemployment still remains around 10 per cent.
• An estimated 14,200 short term overseas visitors to NSW.

1936

• Car ownership is on the rise, with 524,256 cars registered throughout the Commonwealth of Australia.

1938

• Car ownership continues to grow after the Depression. By 1938 one in five families has its own car or access to a work vehicle.

1945

• An estimated 2,700 short term overseas visitors to NSW.

1955

• An estimated 29,900 short term overseas visitors to NSW.

1956

• Australia hosts its first Olympic Games in Melbourne attracting worldwide attention. Fewer than 5,000 overseas tourists attend the event, as sea travel is time-consuming and air travel very expensive.

1959

• There are 80 motels operating around Australia.

1960

• By the 1960s, Sydney emerges as Australia's pre-eminent gateway city with the highest international arrivals. As a result new hotels are built including the Menzies, the Town House, the Chevron Hilton and the Wentworth, replacing famous but fading hotels including the Metropole and The Hotel Australia.

1963

• Tourism experiences a worldwide boom. That year 146,000 international visitors come to Australia contributing £30 million to the economy.

1965

• Forster, with a resident population of 1500 attracts over 100 000 visitors per year. Each visitor is estimated to spend £10 per visit.
• An estimated 114,200 short term overseas visitors to NSW. This is the first year figures have been above 100,000.

1966

• Regional tourist officers were paid $3000 as a minimum annual salary.

1967

• Results of the first domestic tourism research are discussed at the department's conference in Cooma. A pilot survey of Port Macquarie concludes that visitors contributed an estimated $4.5 - $6 million annually to the greater Port Macquarie region's economy. 19,404 people completed the survey with results showing that:
  • 79% of visitors came from Sydney
  • 55% travelled in groups of one or two
  • 97% travelled by car
  • 50% stayed one night
  • 88% were on holiday
  • 55% stayed in a motel

1969

• Sydney receives approximately 270,000 short-term visitors overseas arrivals to NSW.
• 13 international airlines service Sydney.

1970

• The Australian Tourist Commission lists thirty-five international conventions for Australia, with approximately 16,000 delegates.

1971

• A three year travel course was run by the Department of Technical Education and Australian Federation of Travel Agents.
• The first national tourism survey was announced and that it would be conducted quarterly thereafter.

1975

• By the mid-1970s the Tourist Bureau has an annual budget of around $200,000.
• An estimated 308,100 short term overseas visitors to NSW.

1979

• International visitor numbers to Australia climb steadily to more than 790,000.

1981

• The Department of Tourism wins international conferences estimated to be worth $2.18 million to Sydney.
• By the end of 1981 there are 34 hotels in Sydney with 5,500 rooms.

1985

• Tourism authorities say Sydney has 12,200 rooms.
• An estimated 514,600 short term overseas visitors to NSW. First year above 500,000.

1988

• The value of conventions won for Sydney increases from $2.18 million in 1981 to more than $120 million in 1988, with the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras attracting worldwide attention.
• The State budget allocates $1.3 million to the Department of Tourism.
• 1.048 million short term overseas visitors to NSW. Figure breaks 1 million for the first time.

1989

• 19.405 million overseas visitor nights in NSW.
• On August 18 the Australian Federation of Pilots (AFAP) embarks on what is to become the most expensive industrial dispute in Australia's history. Known as the 'Pilots' Dispute', the AFAP restricts its work hours to 9am - 5pm each day. Many aircraft are grounded and this cost the economy is estimated at $1 billion. The strike has major ramifications for the tourism industry.

1990

• The largest convention ever comes to Sydney. The World Congress of Gastroenterology brings 6,500 delegates, 1,000 accompanying persons and 1,200 exhibition personnel.
• Australia leaps into the top 20 international conference destinations, taking up fourth place behind USA, UK and West Germany. Cheap and regular international flights make this possible.
• Sixteen new hotels are under construction by the middle of the year and 3,000 rooms are set to open by the end of 1990.

1991

• Australian holiday arrivals are up by 10 per cent in the first six months of the year over the previous year. Convention travel grows by a huge 75 per cent over the same period.

1992

• The Australian Tourist Commission launches the inaugural Dreamtime event in Sydney, co-hosted by the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is attended by 70 top incentive buyers from around the world.
• The ANA Hotel Sydney opens. The city now has 8,668 five-star rooms, and a further 6,675 four, three and two star rooms and 2,111 serviced apartments.
• Sydney is now served by 36 international airlines, compared with 13 in 1969.
• Half of Australia's 2.6 million annual visitors arrive in Sydney.

1995

• 2.163 million short term overseas visitors to NSW.
• The 19th World Congress of Dermatology and the 29th Congress of the International Society of Chemotherapy are held in Sydney with more than 8,000 delegates.

1997

• 2.4 million international tourists visit Sydney and NSW.

2000

• 46.238 million overseas visitor nights in NSW (over double that of 1989).

2001

• May - website (www.visitnsw.com.au) notches up one million hits.

2003

• Sydney successfully hosts the Rugby World Cup, when 20 countries take part in the third largest sporting event in the world. The event receives international media attention with an estimated television audience of 4 billion. During the event there is a 30 per cent increase in visitors to Sydney from the United Kingdom.
• April 14 - BridgeClimb welcomes its one-millionth climber.

2004

• 2.663 million short term overseas visitors to NSW.
• Expenditure in NSW by overseas visitors is $4,244 million.
• 25.607 million domestic visitor overnight trips to NSW with a total of 89.179 million domestic visitor nights.

2005

• Bridgeclimb celebrates its 1.5 millionth climber.
• The tourism industry is worth over $20 billion to New South Wales and employs approximately one in 12 persons.