New South Wales is quietly but decisively sharpening its competitive edge in the global tourism race, and this week’s high-level push into India and Southeast Asia signals a confident shift from recovery to expansion.

At the centre of the charge is Destination NSW, which this week brought 60 influential international travel buyers to Sydney for its Focus on India & Southeast Asia showcase. The two-day program connected overseas wholesalers and retailers with NSW tourism operators in a tightly orchestrated series of business appointments, site inspections and networking events designed to convert interest into bookings.

The visiting delegations arrived from India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam — markets that are no longer future opportunities but present-day powerhouses in global travel demand.

And the numbers do the talking.

For the year ending June 2025, India and Southeast Asia together delivered:

• 13 per cent of NSW’s international visitors

• 16 per cent of international visitor nights

• 12 per cent of international visitor spending

Those figures are not only rebounding from pandemic lows, but they are also reshaping the long-term profile of NSW’s visitor economy.

Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said the state is positioning itself squarely within the fastest-growing travel corridors on the planet.

“India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam are among the fastest-growing travel markets in the world and NSW is ready to capture that demand,” Mr Kamper said.

“By working togetherindustry, government and partners we can deliver experiences that inspire visitors and create more jobs across the state.”

Focus On India Southeast Asia 2025 – Sydney Workshop Ovolo Woolloomooloo CREDIT Destination NSW

The strategy is not limited to glossy marketing alone. Aviation is the oxygen of international tourism, sitting front and centre, with the NSW Government backing new routes through the NSW Take Off Fund and the Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund.

“We’re also making it easier for more people to visit NSW by backing aviation growth through initiatives like the NSW Take Off Fund and the Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund, attracting new air services into the state,” Mr Kamper said.

“NSW has something for everybody, and that’s why we’re making it easier for more visitors to travel here, stay longer and return again.”

The visiting buyers were treated not to a token city tour, but to a deep regional immersion, spanning the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shoalhaven, Wollongong, Southern Highlands, Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley — a deliberate move to drive regional dispersal and spread note-book, not just foot traffic, across the state.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Karen Jones said the formula is straightforward: connection creates conversion.

“Connecting NSW suppliers with international travel buyers is how we turn opportunity into growth,” Ms Jones said.

“These markets don’t just bring high-value visitors – they drive repeat visitation and regional dispersal, which are essential for sustainable growth.”

“Focus on India & Southeast Asia has showcased NSW as a destination offering authentic, unforgettable experiences visitors won’t find anywhere else.”

And the ambition is unmistakable. This outreach effort is directly aligned with the state’s long-term blueprint, the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035, which targets a bold $91 billion in annual visitor expenditure by the end of the next decade.

“This is how we will achieve the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy’s bold target of $91 billion in visitor expenditure by 2035,” Ms Jones said.

The strategy can be viewed here:
🔗 https://www.destinationnsw.com.au/about-us/visitor-economy-strategy-2035

What distinguishes NSW’s current tourism playbook is discipline. It is not scatter-gun marketing. It is not reliant on one market or one season. It is targeted, diversified, aviation-enabled, and regionally grounded, precisely the mix that global travel investors look for when deciding where tomorrow’s growth will flow.

If this week’s momentum is any measure, NSW is not waiting for demand to arrive. It is flying out to meet it.

by Christine Nguyen – (c) 2025

Read Time: 3 minutes.

About the Writer

Christine’s journey is one of quiet courage and unmistakable grace. Arriving in Australia as a young refugee from Vietnam, she built a new life in Sydney brick by brick, armed with little more than hope, family, and a fierce curiosity about the wider world. She studied Tourism at TAFE and found her calling in inbound travel, working with one of Sydney’s leading Destination Management Companies—where she delighted in showing visitors the real Australia, the one beyond postcards and clichés.

Years later, when the call of the sea and a gentler pace of life grew stronger, Christine and her family made their own great escape. She turned her creative hand to designing travel brochures and writing blogs, discovering that storytelling was as natural to her as breathing. Today, she brings that same warmth and worldly insight to Global Travel Media, telling stories that remind us why we travel in the first place.

 

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