International tourists want man-made attractions and don’t want to spend all their holidays “looking at Ayers Rock”, mogul James Packer says.
Packer was talking up the economic and tourism benefits of his $1.5 billion Sydney casino development a day after it got the green light from the NSW Government.
He said Australian tourism had been underperforming and all the great tourist attractions of the world, like Las Vegas, were man-made.
“We risk in Australia sometimes falling into the trap of not being realistic about what’s happening in the world,” Packer told Macquarie radio today.
“Australian tourism has underperformed dramatically and if we sit here and think everything is going great with Australian tourism we are kidding ourselves.
“The natural attractions … are magnificent but people also want man-made attractions. If you look at the biggest tourism success stories in the world they’re man-made attractions.
“People do not want to spend all of their holidays looking at Ayers Rock, not to say Ayers Rock isn’t fantastic.”
Opposition gambling spokesman Steve Whan said Labor would back the casino legislation in parliament.
“It appears from what we’ve seen that it meets the very strict conditions that Labor put forward,” he told ABC radio.
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These include a prohibition on poker machines, a “fair return”, keeping the casino VIP-only and an open and transparent development process.
He said the Opposition never wanted a second casino but was in favour of a “great development at Barangaroo”.
Revenue from the casino is expected to flow to the government from 2019 but Whan said the $100 million gambling licence fee should be used to fund schools.
“We need to see from this government the dividend for the people of NSW being used properly … to deliver services,” he told ABC radio.
Whan said he understood the “cynicism” of those who think Packer is able to do whatever he pleases because no one will stand up to him.
