Image: Dive Jervis Bay, Huskisson | Credit: Stella Crick 

Welcome to Destination Download

Welcome to Destination Download. March is shaping up to be a busy one! From hands-on accessibility workshops across the region to a packed calendar of webinars covering everything from AI in tourism to event funding. We're also excited to share news of support for Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses, celebrate Wollongong's turn in the spotlight at the Ford Women's NSW Open, and look ahead to the DSSS Symposium on 27 May. Get the diary ready and explore what's on offer, there really is a lot happening! As always, if you'd rather pick up the phone for a chat, we're here to support you.

In this edition:

• News & Announcements
• Business & Skills Development, Resources, Events
• Industry Insights
• Local Updates

Image Credit: Charlie Hardy

Image Credit: Destination NSW

Image Credit: Shellharbour City Council 

Accessibility is good business

Travellers with accessible needs contribute $29.2B annually and account

for 1 in 5 trips in Australia.

Join our practical, hands-on workshop Beyond the Ramp next week in Shellharbour, Nowra and Bowral to learn simple, low-cost ways to create more welcoming visitor experiences and grow your business. Duration is four hours.

Tuesday 10th March

The Shellharbour Club, Shellharbour

1.00pm - 5.00pm

Registration link

Wednesday 11th March

Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nowra

10.00am - 2.00pm

Registration Link

Thursday 12th March

The Links House, Bowral

9.00am - 1.00pm

Registration Link

Workshop registrations will close on Thursday 5 March at 6.00pm to allow sufficient time for all participants to receive and complete the required pre-work prior to the workshop.

Designed for tourism & hospitality operators. 

Invitation to participate in Visitor Economy Insurance Survey

Austrade and Griffith University are co-funding research into improving public liability insurance for Australian visitor experiences. You are invited to participate in a 10-minute survey to share the impacts of insurance challenges and your views on actions to improve insurance for the visitor economy. International education is a key contributor to this sector.

New NSW First resource: Nature-based tourism

Part of the NSW First program, this resource page is dedicated to nature-based tourism. It includes insights and tips for visitor economy businesses to create great nature-based experiences.

Heartland: a plan for regional NSW arts, culture and creative industries 2026–2035

Heartland: a plan for regional NSW arts, culture and creative industries 2026–2035 builds upon Creative Communities as its foundational policy, while addressing the unique opportunities and challenges faced by regional NSW, by committing to six strategic priorities that strengthen the regional sector and unlock its potential.

Upcoming Tourism Australia AI webinar

Despite record-high interest in Australian travel, website clicks are dropping as AI begins answering traveller questions directly on the search page. This session breaks down how to reclaim your visibility by mastering the new "citation game," some immediate technical wins, and creating the high-authority content that AI gatekeepers prioritise.

Date: Fri 6 March

Time: 11:00am AEDT

Western Sydney International Airport preview

Destination NSW hosted a first look at Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) last week for tourism operators and agents, ahead of the first passenger flights landing in October 2026.

Key Inbound Tour Operators (ITOs) and Online Travel Agents (OTAs) joined the exclusive preview, which provided valuable insight into the terminal’s facilities and the surrounding visitor economy infrastructure.

New updates for Retail Trading pages

The NSW Government has recently published updates to the Retail Trading webpages. Here's what's been refreshed:

• Trading on public holidays in NSW

• Applying to trade on a restricted day

• Current and previous applications to trade on a restricted day

Suspicious email circulating claiming to be a part of the NSW tourism industry

Destination NSW has received reports of emails from a company calling itself New South Wales Tourism, requesting operators to review their business details on their website. This company and its website are not affiliated with Destination NSW. If any operator receives an email or invoice from this organisation, please disregard it.

Discover what's been happening across our industry.

To share your new product, experience or event, please get in touch with us at info@dnsss.com.au

Wollongong hosts the Ford Women's NSW Open

Last week, Wollongong hosted the Ford Women's NSW Open in Wollongong and we were thrilled to be in attendance, hosting a number of industry partners. 

It was a fantastic opportunity to connect, showcase our region on a global stage, and experience firsthand the calibre of this internationally recognised event.

Major events like this play such an important role in driving mid-week, off-peak visitation and highlighting the amazing destinations across our region.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and to Destination NSW for supporting these important events.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update.

Don't forget between our updates you'll find us on socials, head over to follow us  on LinkedIn and you'll also find us on Instagram and Facebook. 

We also encourage you to share our updates with your networks, simply forward this email and they can register here.

Talk soon, The DSSS team