While Western Sydney has long boasted world-class venues like Sydney Olympic Park and Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, its full potential as a major events and business tourism destination has remained untapped.
With the development of new infrastructure such as an international airport and a concerted effort to promote the area as a unified destination, this is set to change.
Come late-2026, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) is set to open. This new additional entry point into Sydney will operate 24-hours-a-day services, which contrasts with some other major international airports in Australia that have curfew limits. A new hotel, the Courtyard by Marriot Western Sydney Airport, will also open in 2026.
“The round-the-clock access from WSI Airport will be a gamechanger for business events visitors, especially those with tight time frames. (It will also) provide more flexibility for long distance flights out of Europe and the US,” Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney) CEO, Lyn Lewis-Smith told TTGmice.
The new airport is also in “closer proximity” to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, as well as Hunter Valley vineyards, which Lewis-Smith indicated will “definitely influence a change in approach to itineraries especially for our corporate and incentive market”.
Qantas was the first to sign up in mid-2023 as the first domestic airline partner, and is projected to carry approximately four million passengers and 25,000 flights a year upon opening. Virgin Australia has also signed on, and recently, WSI secured its first international airline partner, Singapore Airlines.
Other major developments are also underway in Western Sydney. Currently under construction and due to open in 2025, Powerhouse Parramatta – billed as the largest museum in NSW – will offer 18,000m2 of exhibition space, focused on demonstrating the continued impact of the applied arts and sciences on the world. The museum will also boast a range of event spaces including a 2,000m2 rooftop garden, a tiered-seating theatre for 700 guests, a 55-seat cinema, and a 200-seat kitchen space for culinary demonstrations.
Over in Penrith, Winter Sports World will be Australia’s first snow park. Slated to open in 2026, the park will feature a 300-metre indoor ski slope, ice hockey, speed skating, alpine skiing, and ice climbing. The precinct will also boast a 170-room hotel, conference and event facilities, and a restaurant with snow views.
But corporate meetings and incentives are not BESydney’s only focus.
“For associations, the Westmead Health and Innovation District is a leader in breakthrough research and innovation. This growing district, situated in Western Sydney, means that the city’s ability to deliver on knowledge exchange, talent attraction, and direct foreign investment will be a gamechanger for this important sector,” Lewis-Smith shared.
The NSW Government aims to boost annual visitor economy expenditure to A$91 billion (US$59.9 billion) by 2035. This goal, a 40 per cent increase over the previous target, will require significant expansion of the state’s tourism infrastructure. To accommodate the expected influx of visitors, the government has identified the need for an additional 40,000 hotel rooms and increased business event facilities in Sydney, Western Sydney, and key regional areas.
This has also resulted in a A$1.5 million increase in funding for BESydney in FY25, which will help “improve our competitive position in the Asia Pacific region”, said Lewis-Smith.
