More than a decade has passed since Sydney hosted the Summer Olympics and, perhaps not coincidentally, its most recent ATE prior to this one. Patricia Forsythe, chair of the Greater Sydney Partnership, feels that the city as a whole has "forgotten to the tell the story" of Sydney's advantages as a tourism destination since then. "We're starting to refresh," she said.
The city is also growing and developing: Barangaroo, for example, will be a major new commercial and retail hub right on the Harbour, with a luxury hotel and a boardwalk. The project will take away the current industrial build-up along the Harbour and return the shoreline to its natural curves, while the boardwalk will restore public access to a mile of the city's waterfront.
Another major upcoming project is a new Frank Gehry building, which will be the first by the legendary designer in the Southern Hemisphere. A new convention center is also planned for the south end of Darling Harbour, and Bondi Beach will be getting a new hotel.
For arts and culture lovers, a new opera program is set to debut next year. Handa Opera on the Harbour will present Verdi's La Traviata on a barge in Farm Cove, just around the corner from the iconic Sydney Opera House. And the Museum of Contemporary Art will be getting a major refurbishment within the next few years as well.