It was fantastic to be part of the Lights On Western Sydney – Visitor Economy Forum at the new Western Sydney Conference Centre in Penrith today. Another great joint event hosted by Penrith Chamber and Blue Mountains Tourism as we contemplate a shared future. The key messages rolled out by government, industry group and business leaders were the same time and again: Western Sydney International Airport is coming in less than three years and tourism operators and communities must prepare now or miss the flight into the future. An initial 4 million visitors are expected to step off the planes in the first year alone. We need to start thinking about who they will be, intercept their plans and direct them around the region. You may have been to the Gold Coast for a holiday, but I bet you never thought before you went (chances are, it wouldn’t have mattered to you anyway) that two of the theme parks are 46km from the airport. So, 46km from WSI airport is Mt Victoria on the western edge of the Blue Mountains, the Hawkesbury in the north and nearly at the edge of Wollondilly in the south – with a whole lot in between. Our new visitors could come from anywhere in the world and stay for longer. They’ll want to flip the current norm and base themselves in Western Sydney (probably around Penrith or the Blue Mountains) and take day trips to Sydney CBD. Are we ready for this? Not yet. We need more product – beds, tables, activities – and a co-ordinated plan. But events like Lights On Western Sydney will enable the industry to grow together to make sure we are ready. We’ve got some ambitious plans in the works and I can’t wait to share them. #visitbluemountains #penrithishere #lightsonwesternsydney #wsi #tourismindustry
Great to have you there Jason Cronshaw (GAICD). Such a good day and so many important ideas and messages. A lot to do to be ready for millions of extra visitors coming to door step of the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney.
Thanks Jason. I would love to get involved and help support planning, as this is a huge opportunity for Western Sydney tourism.
Thank you for joining us! It truly was an event filled with valuable insights