In 2005, NSW received 68 million visitors who spent nearly A$20 billion during their stay.

This includes more than 2.8 million international visitors, almost 55 per cent of total international visits to Australia.

The major source of international visits to NSW is the United Kingdom and Europe, followed by New Zealand and the USA. Korea and China are also significant markets.

The State’s tourism industry directly generates 182,000 jobs, accounting for about six per cent of the NSW workforce.

While the majority of visitors to Sydney and NSW come for holiday and pleasure reasons or to visit friends and relatives, business tourism is an important and high yielding component of the overall industry.