Pan Pacific Hotels Group cluster general manager of Sydney Jeroen Meijer, who recently won Executive of the Year at the 2026 NSW Accommodation Awards, shares his insights on broader travel trends.
Sydney’s hospitality sector cannot coast on natural advantages while destinations across Asia focus on improving visitor journey, Meijer told Travel Weekly.
“Sydney has a lot going for it, but we cannot rely on that alone,” Meijer said. Competition from Asian destinations has intensified as those markets get better at linking transport, attractions, dining and accommodation into one smooth experience, he said. Sydney holds the same raw ingredients, in his view, but the connections between them need strengthening.
“The future of tourism won’t be won by one great hotel or one great attraction, but instead by destinations that remove friction and make every part of the experience feel effortless,” he added.
Winning back Australians
With Australians travelling overseas in record numbers, Meijer frames the domestic challenge as an opportunity rather than a threat. Australians travel because they are curious and want new experiences, he said, so the task for operators is making Sydney feel new again to people who assume they already know it.
He pointed to Parramatta as a case study, highlighting it as one of 10 Purple Flag districts recognised nationally for a safe, diverse and vibrant night-time economy. Encouraging visitors to extend their stay into the Blue Mountains or Bowral, or to turn a business trip into a leisure add-on, is part of the same strategy, he said.
“We need to tap into that sense of discovery and give people a reason to choose Sydney for their next experience, not just their next stay,” he said.
A 24-hour city, if infrastructure keeps up
Looking five years ahead, Meijer is optimistic about Sydney’s trajectory, citing continued investment and a strong events calendar. He wants to see the city develop further as a genuine round-the-clock economy, arguing visitors experience a destination well beyond the check-in-to-check-out window.
His concern sits on the delivery side. Growth in visitation needs to be matched by investment in infrastructure, connectivity, workforce skills and overall visitor experience, he said, adding that collaboration between government, operators, businesses and communities is essential because no single hotel can shape Sydney’s future alone.
What talent wants now
On the ongoing battle for hospitality talent, Meijer said labour shortages, shifting visa settings and heightened competition for skilled staff have made retention as critical as recruitment. Today’s professionals want career progression, he said, but also purpose, flexibility and leaders who invest genuinely in their growth.
Pan Pacific’s Sydney properties have responded by developing talent internally, broadening operational exposure and building clearer progression pathways, according to Meijer, who said staff who can see a future with the business are far more likely to stay and grow into future leaders.
