Bluesfest’s Contribution To Byron Bay and Beyond Gets Bigger!

The incredible success of Bluesfest 2013 has been documented in an Economic Impact report undertaken by Lawrence Consulting. The report concentrates on the impact of spending in Byron Shire, the Northern Rivers region, New South Wales and Australia generated by Bluesfest Services Pty Ltd, visiting performers and attendee spending. Festival Director Peter Noble says of the report “We knew 2013 was a huge year but it was still great to see a boost in both employment positions and income and an increase in our overall contribution to Gross Regional Product from 2011, which was also a bumper year for us”

A SNAPSHOT OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF BLUESFEST 2013:

• A total output of $64.1 million in Byron Shire, $84.2 million in the Northern Rivers and $150.6 million in New South Wales 2012/13

• Estimated total income (wages and salaries) of $10.8 million in Byron Shire, $15.0 million in the Northern Rivers and $32.8 million in New South Wales in 2012/13

• Approximately 379.3 full time equivalent (FTE) employment positions in Byron Shire, 515.9 FTE’s in the Northern Rivers and 831.4 FTE’s in New South Wales

• An estimated contribution to Gross Regional Product (GRP) of $28.4 million in Byron Shire, $37.3 million in the Northern Rivers and $65.8 million in New South Wales in 2012/13

• The estimated contribution to GRP in Byron Shire ($28.4 million) represents approximately 2.1% of the total GRP for Byron Shire.

• Bluesfest Touring 2013 promoted 120 Individual shows across Australia with attendances totaling 93,698

• A record breaking $120,000+ was raised by Bluesfest charity stalls including $50,000+ raised by the Cystic Fibrosis team (CF) bringing the total raised at Bluesfest by CF $315,000 to date. Not to forget the 44 Orangutans adopted during Bluesfest (The Orangutan Project’s largest response at an event EVER!)

Results from a survey completed during the festival have also been released; including the origin of attendees in which 51% of respondents lived interstate, 19% were from the Byron Bay or Northern Rivers Region and 5% of respondents were from Overseas.

The impact of visitors to the Byron Shire for Bluesfest is significant and based on the estimated total number of individual persons attending Bluesfest 2013 (40,607), Gross Indirect Tourism Expenditure (accommodation, food and beverage, retail , attractions etc) to the Byron Shire, Northern Rivers and New South Wales economies were estimated at $21.4 million, $28.5 million and $47.3 million respectively.

Bluesfest’s Economic Impact Report comes just after the release of a business confidence poll conducted by Griffith University and the Northern Star which highlighted the importance of Bluesfest in boosting business confidence among Northern Rivers business owners.

Bluesfest 2013 was held over the Easter Long Weekend Thursday 28th March – Monday 1st April 2013 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm Byron Bay, NSW. Bluesfest 2014 Dates (25th Anniversary Bluesfest): 17th-21st April 2014.