10 million visitors expected to head to Sydney this summer
This Summer, more than 10 million overnight and day trip visitors are expected to visit Sydney to make the most of the warm weather, world famous beaches, globally recognised icons, first class dining scene and calendar of events.
Over the six-month period of October – March Sydney will receive 18 million visitors, with 10 million of these expected to visit during Summer*.
Last year, Summer-loving tourists stayed around 29.2 million nights during the three months of the popular, warm season.
NSW minister for trade, tourism and major events Stuart Ayres said: “Last Summer, we welcomed more than 9.2 million visitors who spent more than $4.9 billion in Sydney, meaning tourists are taking advantage of the endless entertainment, dining and major event options after a day on the beaches.
“From a day at the Test at the historic SCG to a ride on one of Sydney’s iconic ferries, summer is an exciting, vibrant and beautiful time in Sydney, and we look forward to more visitors from near and far over the next few sunny months.”
The top activities for visitors to Sydney are eating out, shopping, sightseeing, and attending events. To help plan holidays, Destination NSW, the State Government’s tourism and major events agency, has developed a list of some of the top things to see and do whilst in town this Summer.
Events to plan around: Sport fans, culture lovers, and history buffs are taken care of in Sydney’s Summer calendar. The Coates Hire Sydney 500 car racing (2-4 December 2016), the New Year’s Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (from 3 January 2017), APIA International Sydney tennis tournament (8-14 January 2017), HSBC Sydney 7s rugby fix (3-5 February 2017) and Australian Open of Surfing (25 February – 5 March 2017) are all on offer. For celebrity spotters, the 6th AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel will see the stars of Australian film and television walk the red carpet in Sydney (7 December 2016) and is a great excuse to frock up. Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives will feature cutting-edge technology that reveals the secrets of mummies from the British Museum in a world premiere exclusive at the Powerhouse Museum (from 10 December 2016). Sydney Festival runs for just over three weeks (7-27 January 2017) and offers hundreds of ticketed and free events including The Beach, NUDE LIVE, and Symphony Under the Stars. Finally, New Year’s Eve and Australia Day are incredibly special times to be in Sydney to enjoy the fanfare and fireworks.
Visit www.sydney.com for more information, travel package and booking information.
Summer talking points:
10 million visitors is more than double the population of New Zealand of approx. 4.5 million, and equivalent to:
- 20,661 Qantas A380s full of passengers (based on 484 passengers per flight. Click here for reference).
- 8,695 of the largest Freshwater Class Ferries, full of passengers
- 217 Sydney Cricket Grounds, at full capacity
- More than the number of cars that drive over Sydney Harbour Bridge every 60 days
- 44 times the number of English words in the Oxford English Dictionary.
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