kabarsula Eve of a new era for Western Sydney Tourism as dawn rises on WSI bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Cabravale Club Resort has been named Tourism Business of the Year – Major at the 2026 Western Sydney Tourism Awards, with The William Inglis Hotel – MGallery Collection taking the gold award.

The awards were held on Saturday night at the impressive Western Sydney Convention Centre in Penrith. Hosted by the Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce NSW (WSTTF), there were 13 awards presented across tourism, hospitality, accommodation, events, arts and visitor experiences.

Cabravale had a strong night. It also won platinum for Best Rated Cuisine for Magma by Dany Karam (ex Black, The Star), gold for the Tourism Transformation Excellence Award, and gold for chief commercial officer Vicki Le in the Chief Executive/General Manager of the Year category.

The William Inglis Hotel was another big winner. Chef Amanda Fuller (ex Mejico, Indu and Kid Kyoto) won platinum for Tourism Excellence – Team Member of the Year, and general manager Belinda Thomson took the special Leadership Legacy Award.

Western Sydney International Airport won platinum for Tourism Transformation Excellence, ahead of Cabravale.

An airport on the horizon

The opening of Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) airport, loomed large over the evening.

Set to see its first passenger next Monday, WSI’s general manager Airport Partnerships Shiara Samarasinghe said the opening gave the region a new platform.

“More than a third of Western Sydney residents were born overseas, and the region is home to more than 170 different ancestries,” she told the room. “The airport gives us a new platform to showcase all of that to the world.”

Samarasinghe said airline partners include Qanats, Singapore Airlines and Fiji Airways, and that Mountain Culture Brewery will be among the local businesses showcased in the terminal. She also named Lagardère as a key partner for the airport’s retail precinct.

She said the tourism industry would be central to making the most of the airport.

“While airports can bring people to a destination, it’s the tourism industry that transforms a visit into an experience,” she told the almost 400 local business, tourism and political representatives at the event.

Samarasinghe urged operators and locals to use the new airport.

“Demand will drive growth. Growth will create choice, and that choice will create even greater opportunities for people, businesses and communities of this region,” she said.

Qantas’s head of Commercial, Airports David Donohoe said direct flights would soon link Western Sydney with Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and beyond, with about a million seats flying in both directions.

“This night is not really about aircraft. It’s about what they make possible,” Donohoe said. “Sydney’s about to become a two-airport city. Our job is to bring visitors here, and your job is to give them every reason to stay and come back.”

Political support

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper, Penrith mayor Todd Carney and Destination NSW chief executive Karen Jones were among those at the event.

NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane said she had skipped other major Sydney events to attend.

“I selfishly chose to be here because I have so many friends in the room,” she said. “I love the energy that comes from Western and Southwestern Sydney, and your story is only just beginning.”

Sloane said she wants visitors to see the region as a destination in its own right. “Whenever someone comes to Sydney, I say, of course, go and see Bondi or see the Opera House, but please jump on a ferry to Parramatta,” she said. She described a future in which Western Sydney becomes “a place that people don’t just drive past and fly over”, but where they land and stay.

Panthers Group chief executive Andrew Hill, whose organisation hosted the evening at its Penrith precinct, said the region’s growth was only beginning. “Western Sydney has an exciting future ahead,” he said. “Our work is only just starting.”

WSTTF chair Fazila Farhad said the awards, which launched in 2024, had helped shape the sector’s growth. “Success will be defined not by infrastructure alone, but by the people and experiences that bring our region to life and make it such a unique destination for visitors,” she said.

New campaign

The taskforce also gave guests a preview of its upcoming destination campaign, ‘A World at Your Doorstep’. Further details will be announced in the coming days.

Platinum winners

• Outstanding Tourism Campaign of the Year: West HQ Filipino Festival
• Event Campaign Award – Council: Fairfield City Council Moon Festival – National Lion Dance Competition
• Meeting/Conference Venue of the Year: Liverpool Catholic Club Venues
• Tour Group Experience of the Year: Anderson’s Tours
• Outstanding Achievement in Accessible Tourism: Quest Penrith
• Apartment Hotels: Meriton Suites Liverpool
• Unique Accommodation: Novotel Sydney Cabramatta
• Tourism Excellence – Team Member of the Year: Amanda Fuller, The William Inglis Hotel – MGallery Collection
• Best Bar/Pub of the Year: Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains – Two Doctors Whiskey Tavern
• Best Rated Cuisine: Magma by Dany Karam, Cabravale Club Resort
• Tourism Transformation Excellence Award: Western Sydney International Airport
• Best Music and Arts Venue: Coliseum Theatre – West HQ
• Chief Executive/General Manager of the Year: Stephen Wills, Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley
• Leadership Legacy Award: Belinda Thomson, The William Inglis Hotel – MGallery Collection
• Tourism Business of the Year – Major: Cabravale Club Resort