A NEW report this week tabled by Business Sydney is proposing a major overhaul of Sydney’s tourism strategy, arguing the case for the city to more strongly embrace its artistic culture.
Contained within the Creating Australia’s Arts and Culture Capital report was a call for Sydney to become far less reliant on historical attractions such as Sydney Harbour and its golden beaches, and instead position its marketing message to more effectively sell its growing artistic appeal and attract a more varied type of visitor profile.
“The vision for Sydney Arts Precinct is to create a sustainable and activated cultural experience connected by a unifying arts narrative that recognises, supports and nurtures home-grown culture, creativity, and business enterprise,” the report said.
Business Sydney’s Executive Director, Paul Nicolaou, said a proposed ‘Sydney Arts Precinct’ would provide the “vital missing chapter in the Sydney destination brand story”.
“As a definer of Sydney’s brand, the Precinct will become a ‘beacon to the city’, connecting locals and visitors to the city’s cultural communities – inclusive, accessible and relevant to all,” Nicolaou said.
Key recommendations in the report include Destination NSW working in partnership with the Sydney Arts Precinct to create a ‘Cultural Sydney’ brand as part of the redefinition of Sydney’s narrative under the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030.
Further suggestions include forming a centralised group of stakeholders to create programming to map out visitor experiences and tourism promotion through entertainment channels, as well as the NSW Government creating a pool of seed and ongoing funding to “establish, bed down, nurture and grow a Sydney Arts Precinct.”
