Tourism’s role in Wollongong’s economy: visitor spending, jobs, events strategy and measurable constraints

Tourism is growing across NSW, but local outcomes depend on capacity and year-round demand

Wollongong’s economic debate over tourism often turns on a practical question: can visitor activity deliver durable gains for local jobs and business turnover, or does it concentrate benefits into short peaks driven by weather, weekends and one-off events?

Statewide indicators point to a visitor economy that has expanded strongly in the post-pandemic period. NSW recorded record levels of visitor expenditure across 2023–2025 reporting cycles, with growth driven by both domestic travel and a rebound in international markets. This broader context matters for Wollongong because the city competes within a wider NSW tourism system for event allocations, marketing investment and transport connectivity.

What the latest verified numbers show about NSW tourism momentum

In the 2024–25 financial year, NSW recorded 124.6 million total visitors who spent $55.9 billion and stayed 219.5 million nights. Visitor expenditure rose 5.7% compared with the previous financial year. Growth in visitor numbers was mainly domestic, while growth in nights and spending was mainly international.

International recovery continues but remains uneven by measure: international expenditure reached a record high in 2024–25, while international visitor numbers were still below 2018–19 levels. Domestic tourism measurement also entered a transition from 1 January 2025, with updated collection methods affecting comparability with earlier series.

How major events are being used to shift tourism from seasonal to strategic

NSW’s visitor economy planning places major events at the centre of efforts to generate year-round travel and higher-yield visitation. For Wollongong, a significant near-term example is the city’s role as a host venue for the Rugby League World Cup 2026, alongside Sydney and Newcastle.

Across NSW, the tournament has been estimated to attract more than 32,000 fans and inject over $19 million into the state’s visitor economy. The projected benefits are linked to accommodation demand and higher turnover for hospitality and local businesses in host cities and surrounding regions.

Major events typically concentrate spending into short windows, but can also create repeat visitation when paired with destination experiences that extend length of stay.

What determines whether tourism becomes a sustained local economic pillar

Tourism’s local impact is shaped less by headline visitor totals and more by whether Wollongong can convert visits into longer stays, midweek occupancy and repeat travel. That conversion is constrained or enabled by factors that can be measured:

• Accommodation capacity and occupancy patterns, which determine whether demand can be captured locally or leaks to Sydney and nearby areas.

• Transport access and travel times, which influence the balance between day trips and overnight stays.

• Seasonality and weather sensitivity, particularly for beach-led visitation.

• Event cadence, including the ability to host multiple events across the year rather than relying on a single blockbuster.

• Visitor mix, as spending and length-of-stay profiles vary substantially between domestic day-trippers, domestic overnighters and international visitors.

How to assess “sugar hit” versus structural benefit

For Wollongong, the difference between short-lived spikes and longer-term economic contribution can be tracked through repeatable indicators: changes in overnight visitor share (relative to day trips), average length of stay, accommodation performance during non-peak months, and the distribution of visitor spending across hospitality, retail, transport and experiences.

Tourism can deliver measurable benefits when it increases overnight stays and sustains trading conditions outside peak periods. Conversely, when demand is concentrated into short bursts without expanded capacity or diversified experiences, the local uplift tends to be narrower and harder to maintain.

With major events scheduled through 2026 and a statewide visitor economy still expanding, Wollongong’s economic outcome will depend on whether it can consistently convert those inflows into longer stays and broader local spend.