Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer and Vivid Sydney Executive Producer Sandra Chipchase said given the record visitation DNSW and its partners have delivered for regional and rural NSW, it was fitting that 2019 should see a regional charity partner.
“Vivid Sydney is Australia’s largest event and last year attracted 2.25 million visitors. Of those visitors, almost 33,000 spent time in regional NSW to extend their experience beyond Sydney, injecting $13 million in tourism spend into the local economy,” Ms Chipchase said.
“This equated to over 73,600 nights in regional NSW resulting from Vivid Sydney last year.
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section (RFDS SES) is vital not only to those who live and work in rural and remote Australia including our valued tourism providers, but also supporting the record numbers of tourists we are attracting to regional NSW.”
RFDS South Eastern Section President Ruth Sandow welcomed the partnership.
“We are delighted that RFDS has the opportunity to spread awareness and raise funds to support our work in regional NSW during the much-loved and well-attended Vivid Sydney,” Ms Sandow said.
“Just like Vivid Sydney, RFDS reaches hundreds of thousands of people each year and this is made possible through the support of the public.
“In 2017-18 the RFDS South Eastern Section provided more than 51,000 occasions of care with aeromedical crews across NSW on standby 24/7, 365 days a year.
“From Broken Hill we provide 24-hour emergency retrievals, covering a land mass of approximately 640,000 km².
“Our fleet of 21 aircraft enabled 4,804 GP clinics delivered in remote communities. This includes over 35,000 consultations for mental health, alcohol and drug treatments, as well as a range of specialist services.
“The RFDS SES is also working to expand its service reach through RFDS clinics, aeromedical transports and innovative telehealth consultations.”
As the official charity partner for Vivid Sydney 2019, RFDS SES will sell merchandise throughout the three-kilometre footprint of the Light Walk, and will also host a fundraising event at the Museum of Contemporary Art during the event.
Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, and will transform the Harbour City into a colourful creative canvas from 24 May to 15 June, 2019.
To view the Vivid Sydney 2019 program: www.vividsydney.com
For the full Vivid Sydney 2019 media kit, high-res imagery and video footage: www.vividsydney.com/media-centre
