New DNSW chief named

NSW Minister for Tourism, Stuart Ayres, has announced the appointment of Steve Cox as the new CEO of Destination NSW.

Cox will take the top job at the state marketing organisation after a career in retailing, most recently including eight years as MD of bookseller Dymocks where he guided the company through “a challenging time for the retail book industry,” Ayres said.

The new DNSW CEO’s experience also includes sales and management roles at David Jones, Katies and Just Jeans.

Ayres said Cox’s appointment would give Destination NSW “fresh impetus, as the agency builds on the state’s reputation as the number one destination for domestic and international tourists.

“This is a great appointment for the people and businesses across NSW,” the Minister enthused.

Cox takes the place of former DNSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase, who resigned last year (TD 15 Oct 2019) and departed the organisation in Dec.

“I look forward to helping create and market new and exciting experiences for tourists to NSW and securing the world-class events this state deserves to host,” Cox said.

He will take the reins of DNSW in May, prior to which Acting CEO, Stephen Mahoney (TD 29 Jan), will remain in the role.

MEANWHILE Ayres has also announced a new $10 million “tourism recovery package” which will focus on the tag-line Now’s the Time to Love NSW.

The initiative is being backed by the Federal Government, as part of its $20 million domestic tourism commitment (TD 20 Jan) and complementing the recently launched Holiday Here This Year campaign (TD 23 Jan).

As well as the new NSWfocused marketing campaign, the package includes “trade partner conversion campaigns” with Accor, Webjet, Qantas, TripAdvisor and Tigerair, and a $1 million regional events program.