The New South Wales Art Gallery will celebrate its 150^th anniversary in 2021 in style, with the $344 million Sydney Modern Expansion receiving final planning approval.

Tourism & Transport Forum Chief Executive Margy Osmond welcomed the announcement saying that the Sydney Modern Expansion will further establish Sydney as a global arts hub and will deliver a significant cultural benefit for New South Wales and beyond.

“Cultural tourism is front of mind focus for industry, government and creative institutions across Australia, and it’s invigorating see the renowned NSW Art Gallery evolving to stay competitive and draw widespread awareness to the cultural space,” Ms Osmond said.

“Increasingly, domestic and international visitors as well as locals are looking to engage in cultural tourism and participate in cultural and heritage activities. Cultural tourism infrastructure is vital to ensure we take full advantage of this emerging market.

“We have always supported the need for cultural investment in our capital cities and the Sydney Modern Project expansion is key to ensuring we have a world-class art gallery aimed at increasing the already 12 million cultural and heritage visitors NSW receives each year.”

“Quite simply, this expansion will redefine cultural tourism in this state.”

Ms Osmond said that the project is set to inject over $1 billion into the NSW economy over 25 years and double the number of visitors to the Art Gallery.

“With incredible growth of cultural festivals, Sydney is quickly developing as an international arts and cultuyre capital. We are experiencing a cultural renaissance that will benefit out visitor economy for many years to come,” Ms Osmond said.