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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Chief Funster Racks Up Almost Half a Million Fun Moments in NSW in Three Months

Destination NSW’s Chief Funster Andrew Smith has hit the halfway mark of his ‘Best Job in the World’ 
DCIM107GOPROgig, well ahead of schedule to have 802,000 moments of fun – one for each square kilometre of the State – in six months.

Since arriving in NSW on 18 December last year, the Californian native has already tallied up more than 480,000 fun moments as part of The Funster Experiment challenge to prove NSW is the most fun place in the world for youth travellers.
The Chief Funster has been travelling around Sydney and NSW, experiencing and sharing activities, stories and attractions via social media, adding to a real-time tracker of fun at www.sydney.com/workstudyplay.
Fun moments to date include:
  • Handing out 187 high fives on New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour;
  • Mixing with 18,000 Elvii (plural of Elvis) at the Parkes Elvis Festival;
  • Being chased on a farm by 1 massive pig called Charlotte at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
  • 574537Abseiling 90 metres at Empress Falls in the Blue Mountains;
  • 8 wipe-outs while learning to surf with pro Nathan Hedge in Newcastle;
  • Watching 65 skaters shredding it up at BOWL-A-RAMA on Bondi Beach
  • Wading in 400 kg of glitter at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras;
  • Slipping down the 91-metre-long Typhoon waterslide at Wet’n’Wild Sydney
  • Freefalling for 60 seconds while skydiving in Wollongong; and
  • 2 hot laps with The Stig at the Top Gear Festival Sydney.
Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said the Chief Funster had already motivated youth travellers from around the world to visit NSW.
“People from across the globe have engaged with the NSW Chief Funster via social media, and as a result of seeing how much fun Andrew’s been having in Sydney and NSW so far, have shared their plans to follow in his footsteps,” Ms Chipchase said.
“To reach the halfway point well ahead of schedule on his challenge to find 802,000 moments of fun in NSW is a great achievement – but it’s no surprise, given the huge volume and variety of amazing experiences on offer across the State.”
While the first three months have been very busy for the Chief Funster, he said there’s still plenty of fun in store.
“My schedule through to the end of June is jam-packed with great events and travel experiences, like climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, swimming with dolphins in Port Stephens, attending the world premiere of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical, and being part of the much-anticipated Vivid Sydney Festival,” he said.
“Honestly, there’s so much to do and see in NSW, the challenge isn’t finding the fun, it’s fitting all the fun into just six months.”
The Chief Funster was the winner of the most popular role in the Tourism Australia Best Jobs in the World competition, launched in March 2013 to promote tourism opportunities for Working Holiday Makers (WHM).
Of the six jobs available, the Chief Funster role received 124,000 applications, the highest number of any state.
NSW attracts the most Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visitors to Australia, receiving 210,000 WHM visitors (68.1%) in the year ended September 2013, according to International Visitor Survey (IVS) results from Tourism Research Australia.
During the same 12-month period, WHM travellers contributed 7.0% of international visitors, 22.1% of international nights and 13.2% of international expenditure in NSW. Expenditure by WHM to NSW for this period was $867.9 million, up by 13.4% on the previous year.
For more information on the many events, attractions, experiences and activities on offer to youth travellers, and to follow the Chief Funster’s adventures and progress, go to:
Facebook: Sydneyfunaustralia
Twitter: @sydneyfun
Instagram: @sydneyfun
Join the conversation: #ilovesydney #NewSouthWales

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