2026 TOURISM UPDATE RECEPTION

Sydney is a must-visit global destination, and tourism and hospitality are vital to our city’s economy, supporting jobs, businesses and investment across the visitor economy.

It was fantastic to welcome over 120 tourism and hospitality leaders to Business Sydney’s recent event exploring the future of tourism across Sydney, NSW and Australia.

We heard valuable insights from industry leaders on Australia’s position as a must-travel destination, the latest international travel trends and the opportunities ahead to grow our visitor economy.

Thank you to Robin Mack, Managing Director of Tourism Australia, for sharing his insights into Australia’s tourism outlook and Tourism Australia’s priorities for the year ahead.

We also heard from Karen Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Destination NSW, who outlined the exciting opportunities ahead for Sydney and NSW and Destination NSW’s priorities for the next 12 months.

A highlight was an engaging panel discussion featuring:

• Robin Mack – Managing Director, Tourism Australia
• Karen Jones – Chief Executive Officer, Destination NSW
• John Hart OAM – Executive Chairman, Australian Chamber – Tourism
• Adam Mather-Brown – Chief Executive Officer, ICC Sydney

Thank you to Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and The Visitor Economy at Business NSW, for facilitating the discussion, which explored the opportunities and challenges facing our tourism industry, attracting more international visitors and strengthening Australia’s global appeal. The audience Q&A added further valuable perspectives to the conversation.

My thanks also to Undine Marshfield, Marketing & Communications Director at Bangarra Dance Theatre, for welcoming our guests, and Renee Woodward, Head of Sales – NSW & ACT at The Fresh Collective, for sharing a few words and introducing Robin.

Finally, thank you to our event partners, The Fresh Collective, Bangarra Dance Theatre and Audio Visual Events, for helping bring the evening together.