TRAVEL TREND

The arts events driving a tourism boom

I RECENTLY SUBMITTED myself to a hallucinatory light installation by acclaimed American artist James Turrell; his Unseen Seen orb is the centrepiece of Mona’s Faro restaurant. Elsewhere onsite at the Hobart gallery, Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda’s beacon spectra shoots 15 kilometres into the sky to a mesmerised crowd and down by the city’s waterfront, thousands of festivalgoers flock to the ambient red glow of Dark Mofo’s Winter Feast and its flickering fires. What gives?

It must be a primordial thing, being drawn to the light. Is that why we’re flitting across the country like moths to a flame to soak in the country’s most illuminating events? Why Bruce Munro’s Field of Light at Uluru has attracted over 250,000 people since it was installed in 2016 and why last year 2.2 million of us day tripped to Sydney to experience its light, ideas and music festival Vivid? Perhaps it’s also got something to do with the fact that lumens are such a perfect vehicle for art, allowing the desert of the Red Centre or the sails of the Opera House to be transformed into a blank canvas with infinite potential.

Light-based festivals, installations and events are part of an ever-increasing global trend of cultural tourism: according to a 2018 report by the Australia Council for the Arts, more international tourists engage with the arts than visit wineries or casinos, or attend sports events. And Australian tourism bodies are increasingly putting their faith in arts and culture’s ability to drive visitation.

Following his recent Field of Light offshoot in Albany, Bruce Munro is gearing up to install a major new light artwork in Darwin. Featuring eight illuminated sculptures placed throughout the city’s CBD, Tropical Light will run from November to April as part of the Northern Territory government’s $103 million Turbocharging Tourism stimulus package: an investment in festivals and events that support improved liveability, tourism and local jobs. Tim Watsford, general manager of NT Major Events Company, says that it’s hoped Tropical Light will attract up to 50,000 people to the Top End during its shoulder season.

So why are the arts motivating more and more of us to travel? Are we all becoming cultural connoisseurs or have we simply ‘been there, done that’ and are on the hunt for new travel experiences beyond the ordinary? “Travellers are increasingly seeking experiences that transcend the superficial: experiences that offer meaning, surprise and that add great depth to the memory bank,” says Grant Hunt, CEO of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, which manages Ayers Rock Resort and brought Field of Light to life at the base of Uluru.

But it’s also about finding different ways to get under the skin of a place. Field of Light and the like allow people to “experience the destination in a way that is unexpected,” Hunt says. “It opens up all the senses and they are captured by the romance and beauty but perhaps not in an everyday way.”

Vivid Sydney is staged by Destination NSW on behalf of the NSW Government and its tourism minister Stuart Ayres echoes Hunt’s sentiment. “Events like Vivid Sydney allow visitors to really immerse themselves in the culture of a city and can act as a guide to explore a new destination,” he says.

And, as is the case with much great art, experiences like these can also be a conduit for understanding and connection. Based in Alice Springs, or Mparntwe, Parrtjima is a First Nations festival of light that uses the newest technology to showcase the oldest continuous cultures on Earth. Recent government investment has elevated it to a major scale and its expedited growth in the last couple of years proves the dividends are already showing. Parrtjima’s point of difference, says Watsford, is the way it’s able to share and amplify the stories and art of the Arrernte people with authenticity. In that time, Indigenous creative director Rhoda Roberts has worked closely with an Indigenous reference group to weave narratives through the festival and ensure that every light installation and piece of

“Travellers are increasingly seeking experiences that transcend the superficial: experiences that offer meaning, surprise and that add great depth to the memory bank .”

programming that accompanies it has links to the traditional land and the 60,000-year-old culture that goes with it, says Watsford. “So what you see is true and it’s unique. If people are wanting to experience Indigenous culture, you get it in spades at Parrtjima.”

“We keep innovating and adding new ways to experience what is one of the world’s oldest landmarks and cultures,” says Hunt of Ayers Rock Resort’s diverse Uluru offering, which also includes dune-top dining experience Tali Wiru and opera. “It’s important to keep a place fresh and contemporary and we continuously challenge ourselves to evolve ideas.”

And is this trend of unique creative events that draw the crowds set to continue? “We are only limited by our imagination,” says Hunt. “I think you will continue to see an evolution of ideas that complement and underpin various destinations. The more success that we have, and others like us have, the more you will see culture and events as part of the marketing mix.”