Welcoming the new year with a double hit of Elton John at McDonald Jones Stadium forecasts an exciting future for Newcastle and the Hunter.
It's not only good for music lovers to see a legend performing only minutes from their home, it's good for all business, a healthy boost to the pocket at the beginning of the year. A tourism bonus, when we are so used to folks leaving town over the summer holidays and enjoying their time and spending their money elsewhere (of course Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley benefit immensely from tourism dollars).
It's been said the city will enjoy an injection of $10 million spent by people attending the Elton John shows. A great deal of that comes from the 25 per cent of out-of-towners (12,000+) attending the shows. Those visitors will account for up 20,000 bed nights at accommodation in the greater Newcastle, generating a considerable trickle-down of expenditure through hotels, cafes to restaurants, linen providers service stations, and the like.
As Hunter tourism advocate and businessman Will Creedon said, imagine how much of a boost the Newcastle economy would get if Venues NSW came good on plans to activate McDonald Jones Stadium for more than 100 days a year with events.
Consider other plans already in motion that will enhance our tourism profile: the $66 million Newcastle airport runway expansion and $55 million terminal enhancement; the $40 million Newcastle Art Gallery expansion; and the $4 million renovation of the Victoria Theatre
Private enterprise has also demonstrated its confidence in the city, like Ghassan Aboud's 5-star Crystalbrook Kingsley hotel and the EVT group's QT Newcastle property.
As the QT Newcastle manager Michael Stamboulidis said this week, bringing high-quality entertainment to the city means major promoters have to believe the city has a great offer for audiences, too: it's not just the show, it's the total experience of the location.
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser this week made the point that the NSW government ought to be giving a lot more back to the Hunter Region in return for its economic contribution to the state and willingness to get on with projects within its budget.
A new entertainment centre and a cricket stadium, both within the state's Hunter Park precinct in Broadmeadow, would be perfect economic drivers for the tourism sector.
The promise of high speed rail from Sydney to Newcastle, and a true tram network, would also enable growth in tourism sector.
Newcastle and the Hunter has come a long way since the closure of BHP, evolving into a city driven by health, education and technology, albeit still tied to the resources industry. For tourism to reach its potential, it's time for the NSW government to come good on projects that have been sitting on the shelf for far too long.
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