Government aspirations for an increase to maximum event capacity crowds in time for summer have been welcomed by Tourism Accommodation Australia as ongoing “green shoots” of recovery continue to sprout.
The sentiments come as nearly 100 of Sydney’s hotel General Managers tuned in to view a webinar hosted by TAA National and NSW CEO, Michael Johnson, featuring NSW Minister for Jobs, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, alongside Destination NSW CEO, Steve Cox.
Key topics on the webinar’s agenda included ongoing social restrictions on conference capacity under COVID capacity levels, with Cox also presenting on the tourism organisation’s development plan for ‘Brand Sydney’ and the Visitor Economy Industry Action Plan. The hour-long session also discussed the recently introduced 24-hour Economy Strategy.
Unveiled this week by NSW Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, the strategy will work to cut red tape and regulation in order to set up Sydney’s hospitality and nightlife businesses for a strong recovery from the pandemic. Objectives under the plan include unlocking community hubs and entertainment opportunities in an effort to drive the creation of new events and extend the economic vibrancy of the city beyond daylight hours.
“We are going to turbocharge Sydney by working closely with industry and councils to implement the 39 actions across the Strategy’s five strategic pillars so the productivity of the night can rival that of the day to create more employment opportunities in arts, entertainment and cultural events throughout the evening,” Minister Ayres said.
TAA CEO, Michael Johnson, said the Minister provided some excellent insight on the road going forward.
“The huge impact on our struggling sector and the economy was acknowledged but there were also some small shoots of hope with a focus on ‘what we can do’ safely as we head into the warmer months,” he added.