Sydney wins best in show
Sydney has once again been recognised as one of the world’s best festival and event cities, taking home an award at the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) annual convention and expo held in Kansas City, USA.
“This award is a source of great pride for Sydney and demonstrates the Harbour City's position as one of the world's leading destination for tourism and events,” Destination NSW chief executive officer, Sandra Chipchase said.
“Securing major events has been a priority for Destination NSW, the Government's tourism and major events agency, as we work towards achieving our goal of doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.”
The latest award marks five years in row Sydney has won at the festival, and also comes after Destination NSW had secured a string of major event investments and wins this year including the 2014 Opening Series Major League Baseball, international soccer tournaments, Hanada Opera on Sydney Harbour and the Australian premiere of the Lion King and Matilda the Musical, amongst others.
“Since Destination NSW was created, we have been focused on developing the Sydney and NSW Events Calendar as the most compelling in Australia and this award proves that we are achieving that goal,” Chipchase said.
“Sydney is Australia's global city. In the year ending June 2014, Sydney welcomed 32.5 million visitors who not only experienced the excellent events on offer but also our city's beautiful beaches, park, food and wine, galleries and museums, shopping and other great attractions.”
IFEA president, Steven Schmader said Sydney had set as an example for “global peers to aspire to”.
Newcastle, NSW, was also named as a World Festival and Event City for the second time at expo and sits alongside Sydney as one of six cities Global Cities for Events and Festivals recognised at the 2014 awards.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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