Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris and I today announced the NSW Government has secured the rights for the IRONMAN 70.3 event in Port Macquarie for a further two years. “The NSW Government, through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, has supported the IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie since 2011, and we are pleased to be partnering with USM Events and Port Macquarie Hastings Council to secure the race in Port Macquarie for this year and next year,” Mr Souris said. “Over the next two years, the event is expected to attract around 6,000 visitors from across NSW and Australia and overseas, providing an estimated visitor impact of more than $3.5 million for the region. “Since coming into Government, we have secured three major sporting events for Port Macquarie, including the IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie Australian Age-Group Championships from 2011 until 2015, IRONMAN Australia Port Macquarie from 2011 to 2018, and the Australian Surf Festival from 2011 to 2013,” he said. “It’s expected that these three events will deliver more than $25 million in visitor spend to the region over these years.” Securing the IRONMAN 70.3 for 19 October is a wonderful result for Port Macquarie and for the whole Hastings region. The visitor expenditure generated by the event is significant, bringing tremendous benefit to our restaurants, cafes and hotels, and maintaining Port Macquarie’s reputation as a vital and dynamic tourism centre. I encourage visitors to enjoy themselves outside of the competition by exploring some of the surrounding seaside villages, enjoying a wine tasting at one of the region’s cellar doors, or indulging in a post-event treatment at one of the city’s day spas. Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase, said: “This event puts Port Macquarie and NSW in good international company, with other 70.3 series events also held in locations such as Austria, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, Spain and the USA. Visitors to Port Macquarie will be wowed by the beautiful beaches, rivers and nature reserves and will enjoy the region’s many great restaurants and wineries”. Port Macquarie-Hastings Council welcomed the two-year agreement which provides an opportunity for locals to become involved in IRONMAN and the sport of triathlon. IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie is one of the Asia-Pacific region’s leading triathlon events, and in 2014 the event will give competitors the chance to attain one of 30 qualifying spots for the 2015 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. For more information about the 2014 IRONMAN 70.3 in Port Macquarie, please visit ironman.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:42:38 +0000
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