The South West Sydney Tourism Taskforce has identified a recent surge in international visitors, especially from China, Korea and Japan, and the group hopes to grow those numbers in a bid to boost the region’s economy.
President Harry Hunt said figures by Destination NSW put the number of international guests visiting Sydney’s south west at 20,000 each year - but he disagrees.
Guests at his hotel, Country Comfort Hunts Liverpool, alone had increased to 60,000 in the last 12 months. Add to that the spike in guest numbers at neighbouring businesses and the tourism picture is promising, Mr Hunt said.
“The local hoteliers got together and we said let’s do our own study of visitors to our area around Liverpool and Fairfield and we found there were more than 200,000 international tourists that visited in the last 12 months,” Mr Hunt said.
“We passed that information on to the state government and the minister to show them the potential that is here.”
And if development is a gauge, south western Sydney is full of potential, Mr Hunt said.
Twin Creeks Resort at Luddenham, near Penrith, has lodged plans for a new five star luxury resort including a 275-room hotel while a $100 million development underway at Warwick Farm includes a four-and-a-half star hotel with 145 rooms.
Also, Cabra-Vale Diggers Club at Canley Vale is planning a 120 room hotel as part of its redevelopment and the Liverpool Catholic Club is adding more rooms to its hotel as part of an expansion plan.
The reason for the hotel development boom?
“The new airport,” Mr Hunt said. “Without a doubt, Badgerys Creek is the driver of all of this and that’s just the surface. Billions of dollars is being invested in south western Sydney now.”
The challenge, he said, was to ensure repeat international visitors added the region to their sightseeing list.
“We’re capturing the visitors, we know that because they are staying here but now we have to work out how to keep them here,” Mr Hunt said.
“Traditionally tourists stay in south western Sydney because it’s close to Sydney where they spend the day in Sydney or they go to the Blue Mountains or Canberra for the day.
“We want to speak to the travel agents and organise packages for these visitors that will see them take in everything the south west has to offer.”
That would include farm tours at the historic Belgenny Farm in Camden, skydiving at Wilton for the thrill seekers and even cherry picking, he said.
“What better way to promote south west Sydney as a region.”
Mr Hunt said the taskforce was formed earlier this year in a bid to shine the spotlight on the south west which had for too long been masked in the shadow of Western Sydney.
“When you look at regional tourism figures, south west Sydney is never really included so as a group of stakeholders we thought we need to get this region better identified,” he said.
“We’re not a breakaway group. We’re about collaborating with other stakeholders and the government but at the same time shining the spotlight on this area from Fairfield, Liverpool down to Wollondilly.”
Tourism is a passion for Mr Hunt who last year resigned as president of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, an organisation he had been part of since 1980. He was recently awarded a state government Community Service Award in recognition of his work.
“Tourism is exciting and it’s great that as stakeholders, we’re all looking at the bigger picture,” he said.
Details: www.southwestsydneytourism.org.au
