Brisbane Olympics boss urges shift to permanent hotel legacy

“I mean, we can do that to catch the flywheel effect – one or two cruise ships, sure. Airbnb, sure. But I want the sustained nature to upgrade Queensland’s tourism product. And that means quality hotels as well.” 

Liveris said hotels should form part of a broader investment push across tourism, airlines and airports, with the four sectors planned together if Queensland was to convert the Games’ global exposure into lasting visitor growth.  

“We need to marry the tourism product to the airline product [and] the airport product,” he said. “So those four products should be investment-worthy beyond 2032.” 

Liveris said the Games should be used to lift Queensland’s share of international tourism, particularly from Asia and the US west coast, where perceptions of Australia as a distant destination could be shifted through promotion and better airline connections.  

“Americans are travelling like never before, but they’re heading east to Europe because they perceive it as closer,” he said.  

Brisbane 2032 plans to open an “Australia House” at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics to promote Australia, Queensland and Brisbane to visitors and investors.  

“Why should the Maldives get three million visitors a year? We should be getting that trade here,” Liveris said. “We should be grabbing all of the Asian tourism trade, the US tourism trade.” 

Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority chairman Stephen Conry conceded Brisbane’s accommodation pipeline was behind where some would like, but said private developers would respond as 2032 approached.  

“Are we as advanced as people might want it to be compared to other cities? No, we’re not,” he said. “But we’ll let the market decide, and it will.