Fifty-two of the best surfers on the planet will descend on Newcastle this April for a major event expected to inject $15 million into the local economy.
City of Newcastle (CoN), in conjunction with Destination NSW, has secured Merewether Beach as the location for the launch of the Australian leg of the World Surf League’s (WSL) 2021 Championship Tour, dubbed the Newcastle Pro.
Making the announcement alongside Deputy Premier John Barilaro in Merewether on Saturday, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the news was a major win for the city.
“It’s been wonderful to work collaboratively with the NSW Government, Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres to attract the premier international world surfing league event back to NSW and Newcastle,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Their support and advocacy were vital as we worked alongside the great team at Destination NSW to secure what is a massive coup for our state and our city, and we thank them for their expertise and assistance.”
Aside from being massive news for the region’s surfing fans, it’s also great for the city as a whole given the potential knock-on benefits to the local visitor economy.
“The event will bring a major influx of competitors, media representatives, event officials and fans to our city throughout April, delivering an estimated benefit of more than $15 million to Newcastle’s economy,” Cr Nelmes added.
“It will also provide invaluable promotion for future tourism by showcasing Newcastle to a global audience of more than 10 million viewers, with the event to be live-streamed across various platforms and broadcast on Channel 7 and Fox Sports.”
Kicking off on Thursday 1 April, the Newcastle Pro comes with a total prize pool of more than $1million across men’s and women’s events, and Surfest founder and Newcastle treasure Warren Smith will be “heavily involved with his team in the operation of the upcoming CT.”
“Newcastle is highly regarded in international surf circles as the home of Surfest, the largest surfing festival in the southern hemisphere, which includes WSL qualifying series events,” Cr Nelmes said.
“We’re pleased the WSL event will tap into the local expertise of Surfest organiser Warren Smith and look forward to welcoming athletes and surfing fans from across Australia to Newcastle for this COVID Safe event in April.”
