Parramatta’s Visitor Economy

Welcome to Parramatta: Where Visitors Drive Vibrancy and Growth

Parramatta is fast emerging as one of Greater Sydney’s most dynamic visitor destinations. With a rich mix of cultural experiences, major events, hospitality, and business travel, the city’s visitor economy is thriving. Whether you're here for a festival, a conference or a weekend getaway, Parramatta offers something for everyone and it’s powering local jobs, businesses and investment. 

Why Parramatta?

A Destination on the Rise

• Parramatta contributes ~6% of Greater Sydney’s visitor economy in jobs and value added
• Over 60% of local consumer spending comes from visitors
• Key attractors include Parramatta Park, CommBank Stadium, Riverside Theatres, and a growing hospitality scene
• Visitor activity supports restaurants, cafes, retail, and entertainment
   

Business Impact

A Strong and Expanding Business Base

In 2023/24, over 2,400 businesses serviced Parramatta’s visitor economy – around 7% of all businesses in the LGA.

• 85% of these are in food & beverage and retail
• Visitor economy businesses grew 20% between 2019/20 and 2022/23
• The number of visitor economy businesses grew faster (+20%) than the total business base (+16%) between 2019/20 and 2022/23.
• The number of accommodation (+58%), creative & performing arts (+44%), and sports & recreation (40%) businesses have grown strongly since 2018/19.

Workforce Growth

Jobs Driven by Visitor Demand

Over 20,300 people are employed in Parramatta’s visitor economy.

• Employment grew at 4.5% CAGR, outpacing the wider economy
• Strong growth in food & beverage (+5.2%), accommodation (+41%), and sport & recreation (+62%)
• Parramatta leads benchmark LGAs in visitor economy employment growth
   

Economic Contribution

Driving Economic Value

Parramatta’s visitor economy contributed:

• $3.3bn in economic output (5.8% of Parramatta’s total economic output). This grew sharply in the last two years due to strong growth in the food and beverage sector (+$200m since 2018/2019) and sports and recreation ($130m).
• 6.1% of Greater Sydney’s visitor economy output is attributed to Parramatta in 2023/24 (up from 4.6% in 2018/19).
• Parramatta’s achieved the highest growth in visitor economy - from $1.1 billion to $1.6 billion - a 36% increase and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.3%. This exceeded growth in Blacktown (4.1%), Liverpool (3.9%), Inner West (1.4%), and Greater Sydney overall (1.2%).
• Visitors alone contributed $2.6bn in economic output and $1.6bn (5.7%) in value added to the Parramatta economy.
• $1.2bn in value added Parramatta recorded the strongest growth in output and value added among benchmark LGAs (43% and 36% respectively).