Sydney bans tourists from Harbour Bridge tourism promotion

Sydney bans tourists from Harbour Bridge tourism promotion Sydney  - An invitation went out Monday for 6,000 people to have breakfast with New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees on Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The famous span will be closed to traffic and turfed with 10,000 square metres of grass for a tourism event that Rees said would encourage lots more foreigners to visit Australia's biggest city.

"We won't stop looking for new ways to market Sydney to the rest of Australia and the world," Rees said of the mass breakfast. "These initiatives help entice people to visit our great city and the flow-on effects are worth millions of dollars to the state."

But the sparkling event, to be beamed live around the world October 25, is not for visitors to the city.

Applications are restricted to those who live - and vote - in New South Wales. (dpa)