Tourism Fiji Global Social Media Manager

Tourism Fiji continues to strengthen its consumer marketing capabilities with the appointment of home-grown digital marketing specialist Rush Pathak as Global Social Media Manager. In the new role Mr Pathak will lead the social media strategy for the destination.

With over a decade of experience in digital marketing and social media, Pathak will play a key role in building Tourism Fiji's digital marketing capabilities.

Matt Stoeckel, Tourism Fiji CEO welcomes Rush on-board and commented: "We continue to expand as an organisation and build our in-house capabilities. Rush is another high-calibre appointment to our consumer marketing team whose skills and experience, alongside his passion for the destination, will help to ensure Tourism Fiji remains an industry leader in destination marketing.

Born in Suva, and having spent time working across the media, tourism and public sector landscapes in both Australia and New Zealand, Rush is looking forward to spearheading the organisations social media activities.

"The organisation is going through a digital transformation by further developing their customer, data and digital focus. Something I am looking forward to being a part of." Mr Pathak said.

"Search, social and mobile play an important role when consumers begin their decision-making journey and I look forward to taking a customer-focused, data-driven approach to building our capabilities and relevance from consideration phases, to long after visitors have left," Mr Pathak continued.

Rush will initially work out of Tourism Fiji's Sydney office before relocating to the tourism board's headquarters in Nadi, where he will be based full time.

Mr Pathak feels now is a great time to venture back home to spend time with family and to collaborate with industry and partners to help support a broader Tourism Government agenda.

Tourism Fiji have continued to enhance their global and regional teams with a number of recent appointments, bringing a range of talent in-house to push the brand into the forefront of consumer minds.

For more information on Tourism Fiji, visit www.fiji.travel

 

Accor to buy Mantra

AccorHotels signs an agreement to acquire Mantra Group Limited

AccorHotels today announced the signature of an agreement with Mantra Group Limited with the view to acquire all of the issued capital in Mantra by way of a scheme of arrangement to be approved by Mantra shareholders. Under the terms of the agreement AccorHotels would offer AUD3.96 in cash for each Mantra share including any potential special dividend.

Mantra's newest property is a former office tower in Canberra transformed into a 176-room hotel as part of the city’s vibrant urban renewal program.

Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AccorHotels said, “We are delighted to have come to an agreement to acquire the Mantra Group. This operation will underpin our long-term growth in the Asia Pacific region. Mantra’s portfolio would offer AccorHotels additional accommodation formats and a strong customer base to complement our successful hotel portfolio in Australia. We are confident that the transaction terms are attractive for shareholders of both groups”.

Chairman of Mantra, Peter Bush, said, “The AccorHotels offer represents an attractive proposition for Mantra and for our shareholders and the Board unanimously recommends AccorHotels’ proposal. AccorHotels is one of the world’s leading hotel operators and we trust that our business will be in good hands. Mantra’s strong expertise in apartments, in particular, and our presence in resort locations are very complementary to the AccorHotels operations in Australia and New Zealand. The combined business will be an important part of Australia’s strong and growing tourism market and its customers will benefit from the market leading expertise of both groups”.

Mantra is one of Australia’s largest hotel and resort marketers and operators with 127 properties and over 20,000 rooms in hotels, resorts and serviced apartments across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Hawaii.

Properties in Mantra’s portfolio range from luxury accommodations and coastal resorts to serviced apartments in city and key leisure destinations, under three key brands: Peppers (28 properties), Mantra (75 properties) and BreakFree (24 properties). Mantra also manages core accommodation services including guest relations and reception areas, restaurants and bars, conference and function centres, pool and entertainment facilities and offices. Mantra has more than 5,500 employees.

AccorHotels and Mantra’s combined geographic footprint, together with enhanced distribution and systems, would form a favourable base from which AccorHotels can expand further in the region. Mantra’s expertise in apartment management, in particular, will offer a new opportunity for growth.

The Offer Price represents:

- A 23% premium to the last close price of AUD3.23 as at 6 October, 2017

- An implied EV / 2018e EBITDA (including transaction costs) multiple of 12.4x pre-synergies and high single-digit post-synergies.

The acquisition will be accretive to earnings per share in the first year of ownership pre-synergies. AccorHotels will pay AUD1.3 billion, equivalent to €0.9billion [1].

Besides, AccorHotels confirms it is in discussion with potential investors in relation to the sale of part of the Share Capital of AccorInvest. The Group aims at signing an agreement before year-end 2017. At this stage, the Group has no certainty to reach an agreement.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, including from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board, the Federal Court of Australia and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, as well as the approval of Mantra shareholders and other customary conditions. It is anticipated that subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, the transaction should be completed by the end of the first quarter 2018.

[1] Assumes AUD1.49/€ as exchange rate

Hotel Career Expo 2018 Launches in Sydney

Minister for Tourism and Major Events, and Assistant Minister for Skills Adam Marshall joined representatives of Sydney’s top accommodation hotels in Sydney last night to officially launch Hotel Career Expo 2018.

The Career Expo - backed by Australia’s peak accommodation body Tourism Accommodation Australia – will be a major drawcard in the effort to attract the next generation of skilled young professionals to the tourism industry.

Minister Marshall told the crowd of more than 120 industry leaders the Expo was the perfect chance to showcase the wonderful career opportunities available for young people in the tourism and accommodation sectors.

“It’s great to see the industry working together in such a positive way to both fulfil a gap in the workforce, while at the same time allowing young people to see first-hand the great careers on offer right across the sector,” Mr Marshall said.

“The NSW Government is committed to growing the NSW visitor economy to ensure we remain the number one State for tourism and major events in Australia. This means the creation of more jobs across the industry and more opportunities for future generations of tourism industry professionals.”

TAA NSW chair Peter Tudehope said the Hotel Expo – which will build on the success of the previous event in 2016 – was the perfect example of the industry working together to make a difference.

“This is about filling a real need for skills across a number of disciplines in the tourism and accommodation sector,” he said.

“And it is also about showcasing the great opportunities available in this vibrant and growing industry to a new generation of young people and letting them know about the exciting employment opportunities we have to offer.”

TAA CEO Carol Giuseppi said the launch followed the success of last month’s Hotel Live Experience, which saw more than 550 young people given the chance for an immersive career experience across more than 25 top hotels.

“We had an overwhelming response to the Hotel Live Experience, which saw hundreds of students see first-hand a range of career options from events and marketing through engineering to HR, food and beverage,” she said.

“This was a unique opportunity for students to work one-on-one directly with experts in the industry who could actually be their employers in coming years.

“Our message to young people today is a simple one – our hotels offer great advancement for an exciting career across a range of fields, and the Hotel Expo in May is the perfect chance to see just what the industry has to offer.”

*The Hotel Career Expo 2018 will be held at the Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney on 7 May 2018.

For more information, visit: www.hotelcareerexpo.com.au

Targa Great Barrier Reef to rally for Tropical North Queensland

Tropical North Queensland will host a new major tourism event for the next three years with the launch of Targa Great Barrier Reef, a three-day car rally that will see the field of around 200 cars visit all key regions, including Port Douglas, Innisfail and the Atherton Tablelands.

The new event, to be based in Cairns from 31 August to 2 September next year, is modelled on the world's largest tarmac rally, Targa Tasmania, which has been held annually on the Apple Isle since making its debut in 1992.

Targa Great Barrier Reef will be a round of the four event CAMS Australian Targa Championship, which also includes Targa North West, Targa Tasmania, and Targa High Country in Victoria.

The extension of the series into Queensland was made possible through a three-year funding deal by Tourism & Events Queensland and Cairns Regional Council with series organiser, Targa Australia.

The two hundred cars expected to take part in the 2018 event will represent a cavalcade of motoring history from pre-war classics right through to the latest exotic supercars.

The cars will tackle 15 stages across more than 200 competitive kilometres on a course that covers more than 800 kilometres across Tropical North Queensland.

The event will start and finish each day in Cairns, with a Super Street Stage on the Saturday night bringing the action right into the heart of the city. Cairns will also host Targafest, where the cars are on display for fans to see close up, while regional towns will host a lunch stop each day which will see various local charities supported.

Underlining the scale of the event is the fact that more than 500 local officials and various community groups will be involved in its successful running.

Targa Australia Director, Mark Perry, is excited with the expansion of the championship.

"The secret to the long-term success of Targa Tasmania is that it is a tourism destination event built around a passion for the motor vehicle," Perry said.

"It attracts people and their cars from right around Australia, and overseas. It's a format that sees the event travel to the fans, stopping at a number of towns along the way, meaning it's not just one town or one city that is the winner and our `stadium' covers thousands of square kilometres of iconic landscapes that will showcase the region to the world.

"Targa is renowned for showcasing and bringing awareness to many of Australia's iconic and important World Heritage Areas through its TV Specials, broadcast around the world, and will continue to do so with Targa Great Barrier Reef in highlighting the beauty and importance of preserving the Tropical North Queensland region."

"Targa Tasmania attracts some beautiful cars from across the eras, and I'm sure many of those competitors will be drawn to this new event and others will enter now they have an event closer to home, along with also tapping into the lucrative Asian market due to the ease of travelling to Cairns."

"Being part of a national championship will ensure all the top cars and factory teams are present, and they boast some incredible automotive pedigree and some absolutely awesome drivers."

Queensland Tourism and Major Events Minister Kate Jones said she couldn't wait to see Targa kick off in North Queensland. "With the backdrop of the Great Barrier Reef, this race will be an attractive proposition to Targa teams around the world," she said.

"To have such an iconic sporting experience so close to one of Queensland's most important natural assets will create a wonderful experience for teams and racegoers.

"Events like this deliver a valuable boost to the Tropical North Queensland economy – helping to attract visitors and support local jobs.

"I look forward to Targa becoming a permanent fixture on Queensland's It's Live! Event Calendar."

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said Targa was an ideal fit for the region's ever-growing sports event calendar.

"Targa Great Barrier Reef will not only be great for Cairns, but fantastic for our region," Cr Manning said.

"Major events play an important role in promoting our destination, driving visitation, supporting jobs and fostering community pride.

"This is an iconic car race which will be set against an iconic backdrop – it is the perfection combination. We have a reputation of facilitating world-class events, and this will be no different."

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Pip Close said Targa Great Barrier Reef would showcase Cairns, Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands and the Cassowary Coast to a new audience around the world.

"We are seeing increasing numbers of Asian competitors at events like Ironman Asia-Pacific and the Great Barrier Reef Marathon and this event will further appeal to these markets," she said.

"With new flights from China in December added to our direct connections from Singapore and Japan we have the opportunity to further grow Tropical North Queensland as an international sports event destination."

New Podilato Restaurant at Mantra MacArthur Hotel takes diners on a ride through the Mediterranean

Canberra’s craving for modern Mediterranean cuisine has been met with the opening of Podilato at the new Mantra MacArthur Hotel.

Podilato (which means bicycle in Greek) is the sister restaurant of the popular Bicicletta Italian restaurant at Peppers Gallery Hotel in Canberra.

Like Bicicletta, the restaurant offers a traditional-meets-modern-fusion in its menu.

Podilato Head Chef Sean Mawbey is well known for using fresh ingredients and uncomplicated cooking styles to temper the richness of tradition with the delicacy of modern gastronomy in some inspirational variations on classic Mediterranean dishes.

He has created a menu of Greek, Spanish and Italian cuisines that highlights the freshest seasonal ingredients with a great selection of tapas and dishes designed for sharing.

Featuring Hellenic favourites off the grill, accompanied by both Mediterranean and local wines, Podilato is a welcome addition to the list of Canberra’s best restaurants.

“My cooking philosophy is to accentuate the natural flavours and characteristics of the food, and to put a modern-Australian twist on traditional dishes,” said Sean.

“When preparing Mediterranean cuisine, I’m particularly fond of seafood but I also like to slow-cook food; it takes time and patience, but it reflects the Mediterranean way of life and is definitely worth the wait.”

Tapas dishes include dips, antipasto, paella balls, beetroot carpaccio, mini gyros, Persian lamb kofta, pork belly and crackle and main dishes include pollo alla diavola (grilled crispy flattened chicken with a chilli and lemon vinaigrette), ragu di agnello (braised lamb shoulder pasta), pumpkin and sage risotto, and more.

For groups (minimum two) there are also two banquet options - $45 per person for six plates or $55 per person for eight plates.

Podilato is open daily for breakfast from 6.30-10am on weekdays and 7-11am on weekends, offers a weekday deli option from 6.30am-3pm, a tapas menu (Monday to Saturday) from 3-10pm and dinner from 6-9.30pm (Monday to Saturday). For bookings, call 02 6112 9292.

The restaurant is located at the new Mantra MacArthur Hotel at 219 Northbourne Avenue, Turner ACT. A balcony also offers outdoor dining.

Mantra MacArthur Hotel offers a range of stylish and contemporary studio rooms as well as one and two bedroom suites.There is an opening special from $129* per night in a Studio Room including 1GB Wi-Fi daily, drink voucher on arrival and 12pm late check-out. To book, visit MantraHotels.com or call 1300 987 603.

*Conditions apply, subject to availability. Valid for sale and travel until 31 January, 2018.

Tourism Fiji Australian new PR Manager

Tourism Fiji has announced the appointment of Ms Sarah-Louise Robinson as Public Relations Manager – Australia, commencing this week.

Announcing the appointment, Tourism Fiji Regional Manager – Australia, Hal Caldwell said this newly-created role underlines the importance of Australian media relationships to Tourism Fiji, with Australia continuing to serve as Fiji's biggest market for tourism.

"We're delighted to be welcoming Sarah-Louise to this important role. Working in consultation with Verve PR and other partners primarily via our Sydney office, Sarah-Louise will play a pivotal role in helping to satisfy the Australian media's appetite for Tourism Fiji news. With a breadth of experience representing tourism and travel brands, we're confident Sarah-Louise will lead a strong PR strategy for Tourism Fiji within our biggest market," said Mr Caldwell.

With almost two decades of experience in PR and Communications roles across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Sarah-Louise most recently served as Senior Marketing Communications Manager for Dubai Tourism, delivering creative campaigns across ANZ.

An IPRA (International Public Relations Association) Golden World award-winner in the category of Travel and Tourism, Sarah-Louise has also represented Tourism Malaysia, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, Egypt Tourism and other organisations – working both in-house and in external agency roles.

"Fiji holds a special place in the hearts of many Aussies. I am honoured to be joining the Tourism Fiji team and I am excited to lead some exciting initiatives within the Australian media market. Stay tuned!" said Ms Robinson.

For more information about Tourism Fiji, visit the official Tourism Fiji website fiji.travel.

Giant luminous rabbits to 'invade Macau for 2017 Macao Light Festival

The invasion of Macao by 10 monumental “rabbits” is just the beginning of an autumn-winter season which will revolve around two month-long evening festivals among its feast of annual events.

Pride of place on the banks of Nam Van Lake stand 10 luminous installations in the form of rabbits, which throughout October will light up the night’s sky in celebrating the 2nd Macao Lantern Festival.

Measuring between five and eight metres tall, each colourful character was designed by renowned architect and artist Carlos Marreiros.

Supported by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the event is a major drawcard during the Asian centre’s annual Mid-Autumn Festival until the end of October.

Apart from the visual display at the Waterfront Promenade of Once Central and Anim’Arte Nam Van, there are lantern festival workshops, allowing budding artists to create lanterns using clay and glassed bottles.

From December 3-31, another array of lights will be switched on throughout Macao as the city celebrates winter with a fascinating light festival.

Such has been the success of previous year’s festivals the 2017 Macao Light Festival promises to be more spectacular with events arranged to attract locals and international visitors beyond the bright colours.

Organised by the MGTO, this year’s festival will have a strong emphasis on story-telling with an outdoor concert scheduled along with an outdoor movie showing and an exclusive lighting dinner.

The Macao Light Festival will be highlighted by an opening show on December 3.

As many as eight of the former Portuguese enclave’s historic sites will be used as focal points throughout the month, heightened each night by bright lighting and three-dimensional mapping.

Those prime locations will be:

• Camões Garden
• St. Anthony's Church
• Taipa Houses
• St. Lazarus Church
• Old Court Building
• Anim’Arte NAM VAN
• Senado Square
• Ruins of St. Paul's

Details: Macao Government Tourism Office www.visitmacao.com.au

White exhibition colours Everglades, Leura

Celebrate the simplicity, subtlety and emptiness of ``white'' when the richly designed and furnished Everglades Historic House & Gardens, Leura, holds a luminous twilight soiree to launch the White Exhibition on November 11.

Featuring three Blue Mountains artists (James Gordon, Julie Martin and Helen Sturgess), exhibition curator and art consultant Louise Abbott of iArt has based the exhibition around the White book by Japanese designer and curator Kenya Hara, the art director of Muji since 2001 who designed the opening and closing ceremony programs of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games 1998.

In his book Designing Design, Hara elaborates on the importance of ``emptiness'' in the visual and philosophical traditions of Japan and its application to design.

``In summary, `white' symbolises simplicity and subtlety,'' Abbott said.

``Hara attempts to explore the essence of `white', which he sees as being closely related to the origin of Japanese aesthetics. The central concepts discussed by Hara are emptiness and the absolute void. He also sees his work as a designer as a form of communication. Good communication has the distinction of being able to listen to each other, rather than to press one's opinion onto the opponent.''

​

Hara compares that form of communication with an empty container.

``In visual communication there are equally signals whose signification is limited as well as signals or symbols such as the cross or the red circle on the Japanese flag which, like an empty container, permit every signification and do not limit imagination,'' Abbott said.

``The Japanese character for white also forms a radical of the character for emptiness. Therefore, we can closely associate the colour white with emptiness.''

Launched with a White soiree, the exhibition will be held in the magnificent 1930s art deco Everglades House set amid spectacular gardens, formal terraces and overlooking sweeping views of the Jamison Valley.

Dressed in white, guests will be served a selection of canapes and locally-produced drinks sponsored by Dryridge Estate, while floral arrangements will be provided by Floral Ink and musical duo Rachel Hannan and John Stuart will set the tone with smooth grooves.

All the artworks will be white-themed.

Everglades manager Guy McIlrath said: ``With its progressive ideas and stark philosophies, the White exhibition is as avant garde as the property itself.

``The soiree event will be a reminder of Everglades in its heyday when you can imagine beautiful people floating around the gardens in beautiful clothes on summer evenings.

``In November the evenings are balmy, cool breezes and summer scents float through the trees and the formal ponds help cool the air, so it will be a very dreamy atmosphere.''

The White exhibition official opening soiree event will be held at Everglades Historic House & Gardens, 37 Everglades Ave, Leura, from 5pm to 8pm on Saturday, November 11. Tickets: $55pp, $50pp National Trust members. Bookings essential: 0467 332 591 or 0410 312 827 or email friendsofeverglades@gmail.com (please dress in white).

The exhibition will be displayed in the main house for a month thereafter. Everglades is open from 10am to 5pm daily during daylight savings and from 10am to 4pm during autumn and winter. Entry: $13 adults, $8 concessions, $4 children, National Trust members free.

Contact: (02) 4784 1938 or email everglades@nationaltrust.com.au.

Photos: David Hill, Deep Hill Media

Luxperience luxury travel expo sold

#luxperience2017

Luxperience Founder, Helen Logas has sold the successful, global travel trade institution

After six years guiding Luxperience to an overwhelming success, Founder Helen Logas has sold the renowned luxury travel trade forum to US owned company Diversified Communications Australia, as of 04 October 2017, for an undisclosed sum.

Spying a niche in the marketplace, Ms Logas was inspired to create Luxperience in 2012 as a high end business to business event based in the Southern Hemisphere. The annual event continues to raise the profile of some of the world's unique travel experiences and products and connect these to elite travel buyers and corporate meeting organisers from around the globe.

'The trend toward more experiential products and activities demanded by the high end traveller also reinforced the need for a global travel trade event offered by Luxperience,' says Ms Logas, Founder of Luxperience. 'With Australia and New Zealand's highly desired and unique  experiences leading the way in attracting this type of traveller to the region, the development of the event continually attracts both exhibitors and buyers from around the world seeking to make quality business relationships. As a result we quickly acquired market share from amongst other luxury travel trade events around the world.'

'We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of Luxperience. Helen and her team have done excellent work to develop a strong brand and successful event since its launch in 2012,' says David Longman, General Manager Diversified Communications Australasia.

The tourism industry is an exciting and vibrant one in Australia and is estimated to contribute $47.5 billion to the nation's economy annually. The luxury end of the travel market in Australia is expected to grow sharply over the next ten years.

'As a premium event Luxperience – which features an invitation only hosted buyer model, awards and networking opportunities – is in a great position to understand and service the needs of this growing community. It's an industry we're excited to be part of,' continues Mr Longman. 'Since the launch of Luxperience in 2012 the events have been built on similar principles to Diversified where inspiring meaningful connections are at the heart of what the event is all about. We are excited to be able to work with the team and continue the good work, delivering a world class event for the luxury and experiential travel sector.'  

A true influencer and innovator in the travel industry, building a multi-million dollar business is not new to Ms Logas. In 1994, she established corporate travel agency, Travelcorp Australia with one office then sold it 17 years later as an award winning national agency group with a turnover of $85m and 65 staff to CTM.

Under Ms Logas' guidance Travelcorp was either a finalist or winner of the best corporate agency from 2003 to 2010. She was personally recognised as a finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011. This travel industry experience and dedication enabled Ms Logas to establish and grow Luxperience to be an exceptional, unmissable event.

'I'm quite emotional about selling Luxperience as it has been a major part of my life for the past six years,' says Ms Logas. 'I'm so proud of my team's efforts in establishing it as a must attend event in the calendars of the global visionaries of the travel industry. I know I am handing the baton on to a worthy company in Diversified Communications.'

Diversified Communications is pleased to announce that the majority of the current Luxperience team will transition to Diversified, moving into a new home in our Kent Street offices in Sydney. Retaining the experience, industry knowledge and relationships that the team have built up, will ensure that Diversified Communications is in the best possible position to continue to deliver Luxperience for the industry, and further build on the success of this unique and fantastic event.

 

You do not want to see this on your boarding pass

BBC Persian correspendent, Bahman Kalbasi, tweeted:

"I’m SSSS on EVERY flight. Special treatment includes @TSA feeling & squeezing you & every single item in the luggage"

If you see this code on any USA boarding pass, get ready for some extra attention from airport security.

According to the TSA, this code denotes 'special screening' procedures called 'Secure Flight'.

“Secure Flight is a risk-based passenger pre-screening program that enhances security by identifying low and high-risk passengers before they arrive at the airport by matching their names against trusted traveler lists and watchlists,” a TSA spokesman said.

Another passenger, Dr. Maryam Ahmad, a self-proclaimed 'proud American-Muslim and Civil Rights Activist' also noted:

"Again I've been "randomly" selected for secondary security screening SSSS printed on JFK boarding pass. Funny, not ONE white person selected."

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour unveiled

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour was officially launched on 3 October 2017 by The Hon. Adam Marshall MP, Minister for Tourism and Major Events making it the first new build, international luxury hotel to debut in Sydney's CBD this millennium.  It is also the first new Sofitel property to be built in Australia.

The launch of the Sofitel has broken a 5-star accommodation drought that stretches back before the Sydney Olympics, with the last internationally-branded luxury hotel opened in 1999.

The opening of the Sofitel heralds a renaissance of new hotel development in Sydney, with over 40 hotels scheduled to open over the next five years to support the city's record breaking tourism growth.

For such an auspicious launch, the hotel's owner, Dr Jerry Schwartz, and Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels Pacific, Simon McGrath decided to offer the whole hotel to 33 charities to support in their fundraising. As a result, $508,000 was raised by the charities supporting a range of causes including medical research, disadvantaged children and families, education, Indigenous development and homelessness.

"Being the most important hotel opening since the Olympics, we wanted to once again involve the whole of Sydney by supporting charities that do so much for communities across the city and the State," said Dr Schwartz.

"This hotel launch will also help cement Darling Harbour as one of the world's most dynamic tourism and events precincts, and power future international and domestic demand for the city."

Simon McGrath said, "Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour will be a landmark hotel for Sydney and with its proximity to the International Convention Centre, the hotel will help bring major conferences and events to the city and will be a significant contributor to the tourism sector.

"Sofitel is now the largest luxury hotel brand in the Pacific and coupled with the strength of AccorHotels' distribution and loyalty platform we are confident Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour is going to lead the luxury hotel market in Australia."

The Hon. Adam Marshall said, "Since 2011, the NSW Government has overseen record growth for the State's visitor economy and this has led to huge investment in Sydney's accommodation sector.

"The accommodation sector plays a key part in our visitor economy and I congratulate AccorHotels on this wonderful new asset, and with another 4,800 new Sydney hotel beds in the pipeline between now and 2024 I look forward to seeing even more investment in our city."

Centrally located in the vibrant, newly transformed city precinct, opposite the International Convention Centre, the $500 million Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour offers 590 guestrooms including the hotel's 35 coveted suites, boasting some of the best views in Sydney.

For more information, head to www.accorhotels.com