Australia's flagging tourism industry can be saved by attracting the Chinese middle class to large casinos, Crown chairman James Packer says.
Mr Packer said recognising the Chinese middle class was as important as recognising the internet.
"It's like saying how big a deal is the internet," Mr Packer told Channel Nine.
"The Chinese middle class is going to change the world."
He said Australia cannot rely on its natural beauty alone, because people are more drawn to man-made attractions.
"A lot of the Chinese tourists like man-made attractions as well as natural attractions," he said.
"We need to have better hotels, better restaurants, better shopping."
Mr Packer gave the United States as an example of how man-made attractions win over natural ones.
"Las Vegas gets 40 million people a year," he said.
"I think maybe the greatest natural attraction is the Grand Canyon. It's a half-hour drive from Las Vegas but gets about three million (visitors) a year."
Mr Packer owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau.
He said he was keen to secure a tables-only Sydney casino complex at Barangaroo to bring in more Chinese tourists.
Meanwhile, Responsible Gambling Awareness Week starts on Monday and the NSW Government is encouraging problem gamblers to seek help.
AAP
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