Accor has paid tribute to the “commitment and vision” of James Packer as it insisted the Crown casino and hotel development at Barangaroo must go ahead in order for Sydney to compete against rival cities in Asia.
Chief operating officer Simon McGrath addressed concerns about the project, insisting it was not “just about gaming.”
“Anyone who has been to Singapore and Macau will have been able to see the impact of such developments on the tourism market,” he said. “It is not just about gaming, it’s about creating facilities that tourists want.”
He highlighted the “increasing appetite” of the highly sought after Chinese market for this type of development, with Australia’s profile in Asia set to benefit if the plan gets the green light.
In addition, the Barangaroo development, which includes the redevelopment of the Sydney Exhibition and Convention Centre, will provide the New South Wales capital with the tourism infrastructure it needs to remain competitive within Australia and further afield, McGrath continued.
“There is no doubt that Sydney failed to make the most of the Sydney Olympics and let its tourism infrastructure run down, just at a time when cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Melbourne were ramping it up,” he said.
“Now we have a private investor in the form of James Packer, who is prepared to fund a project that will add significantly to the city’s tourism resources. We certainly need to support such commitment and vision.”
