❓ The Minister for Tourism updates the house on the positive tourism growth in the Coral Coast region, highlighting the impact of regional events and infrastructure investments at Monkey Mia.
AnsweredQoN 347Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM — CORAL COAST
347. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for
Tourism:
I refer to the Minister for Tourism's
recent visit with me to our coral coast region to visit tourism operators and
local shires. Will the minister please update the house on the aspects of this
trip that relate to tourism in the region?
347. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for
Tourism:
I refer to the Minister for Tourism's
recent visit with me to our coral coast region to visit tourism operators and
local shires. Will the minister please update the house on the aspects of this
trip that relate to tourism in the region?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for North West
Central for the question; I enjoyed him taking me around the Shark Bay area. We
were also accompanied by the Legislative Council member for Mining and Pastoral
Region Hon Mark Lewis.
I am really pleased to say that the
coral coast region is punching above its weight with regard to tourist
visitation. The visitor survey for the 12 months to September 2013 showed that
the region received 740 700 visitors. I am sure that is not news to the member
for North West Central, but that is an increase of 6.5 per cent on the previous
year, which means 44 900 additional visitors. The coral coast region includes
the Monkey Mia precinct, and it is a region that the government is focusing on
as part of our tourism strategy. We really want to see all the regions across
Western Australia start to achieve figures like this so that we can achieve our
target of doubling the value of tourism in Western Australia from $6 billion,
as it was in 2010, to $12 billion by 2020.
The other thing about this scheme I
would like to raise today is the fact that the Liberal–National
government's commitment to regional events is part of the generation of
visitor numbers to this area and, indeed, right across regional Western
Australia. This program, which is jointly funded through royalties for regions
and administered by Tourism WA, has resulted in a $750 000 grants pool in the
2014–15 budget, which will enable us to hold up to 50 regional events.
These events are great drivers for economic activity in our regional centres,
and they are certainly creating an impetus for people to travel to various
different regional towns across Western Australia, which in turn are certainly
very welcoming of the tourists who are starting to engage in activities in
those local communities.
There are lots of things to do on
the coral coast. I think that the regional events program is a point of differentiation
between the government and the Labor opposition, because we are certainly
getting great recognition in regional areas that the events program is new and
that under the previous Labor government there were no programs like it. People
are starting to see the impacts of that in local jobs and dollars going into
local businesses.
Another thing I would like to put on
the record is that we visited Ocean Park Aquarium and the Monkey Mia dolphins.
I was really pleased to see the contribution being made by Aspen Parks and
Resorts. Aspen Parks and Resorts owns —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Albany, I call you to order for the first time. Maybe
the minister will mention the great southern later.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : It might be of interest to members in the house that dolphins
are seen as one of the most intelligent beings on the planet. Some of those
opposite might do well to learn a bit from the dolphins at Monkey Mia!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I want to say that Aspen Parks and Resorts has invested $1.8 million
into the renovation of the restaurant and the facilities at the resort —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the first time.
Minister, can you wind it up, please.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : The member for North West Central has actually been integral
in ensuring that there has been some capacity building in the infrastructure
that supports the tourism development at Monkey Mia. A 150-kilolitre wastewater
treatment plant has been installed at the Monkey Mia resort by Aspen Parks, and
that is in addition to a capacity upgrade to the sewerage plant. Aspen is not
only developing a really great tourism venture, it is also taking very
seriously its responsibilities as the custodian and environmental manager of
that pristine part of Western Australia by ensuring that the treatment of
blackwater waste is being done appropriately. It is making sure that it is
self-sufficient in its fresh water requirements, and it has moved that
infrastructure away from the tourism precinct to prevent infiltration of
pollutants into the pristine Shark Bay area. Aspen Parks has done a really good
job, and I am pleased to see that in a remote part of Western Australia such as
Monkey Mia we can have a tourism resort that rivals any of the other
international destinations that talk about how great their dolphins are.
However, at Monkey Mia, people can come and stay at a top-class resort and have
an experience with the dolphins.
Unlike those opposite, who bag out
tourism in Western Australia, we on this side of the house talk up tourism. I
am proud of Monkey Mia resort and what it has achieved.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Albany!
Central for the question; I enjoyed him taking me around the Shark Bay area. We
were also accompanied by the Legislative Council member for Mining and Pastoral
Region Hon Mark Lewis.
I am really pleased to say that the
coral coast region is punching above its weight with regard to tourist
visitation. The visitor survey for the 12 months to September 2013 showed that
the region received 740 700 visitors. I am sure that is not news to the member
for North West Central, but that is an increase of 6.5 per cent on the previous
year, which means 44 900 additional visitors. The coral coast region includes
the Monkey Mia precinct, and it is a region that the government is focusing on
as part of our tourism strategy. We really want to see all the regions across
Western Australia start to achieve figures like this so that we can achieve our
target of doubling the value of tourism in Western Australia from $6 billion,
as it was in 2010, to $12 billion by 2020.
The other thing about this scheme I
would like to raise today is the fact that the Liberal–National
government's commitment to regional events is part of the generation of
visitor numbers to this area and, indeed, right across regional Western
Australia. This program, which is jointly funded through royalties for regions
and administered by Tourism WA, has resulted in a $750 000 grants pool in the
2014–15 budget, which will enable us to hold up to 50 regional events.
These events are great drivers for economic activity in our regional centres,
and they are certainly creating an impetus for people to travel to various
different regional towns across Western Australia, which in turn are certainly
very welcoming of the tourists who are starting to engage in activities in
those local communities.
There are lots of things to do on
the coral coast. I think that the regional events program is a point of differentiation
between the government and the Labor opposition, because we are certainly
getting great recognition in regional areas that the events program is new and
that under the previous Labor government there were no programs like it. People
are starting to see the impacts of that in local jobs and dollars going into
local businesses.
Another thing I would like to put on
the record is that we visited Ocean Park Aquarium and the Monkey Mia dolphins.
I was really pleased to see the contribution being made by Aspen Parks and
Resorts. Aspen Parks and Resorts owns —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Albany, I call you to order for the first time. Maybe
the minister will mention the great southern later.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : It might be of interest to members in the house that dolphins
are seen as one of the most intelligent beings on the planet. Some of those
opposite might do well to learn a bit from the dolphins at Monkey Mia!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I want to say that Aspen Parks and Resorts has invested $1.8 million
into the renovation of the restaurant and the facilities at the resort —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the first time.
Minister, can you wind it up, please.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : The member for North West Central has actually been integral
in ensuring that there has been some capacity building in the infrastructure
that supports the tourism development at Monkey Mia. A 150-kilolitre wastewater
treatment plant has been installed at the Monkey Mia resort by Aspen Parks, and
that is in addition to a capacity upgrade to the sewerage plant. Aspen is not
only developing a really great tourism venture, it is also taking very
seriously its responsibilities as the custodian and environmental manager of
that pristine part of Western Australia by ensuring that the treatment of
blackwater waste is being done appropriately. It is making sure that it is
self-sufficient in its fresh water requirements, and it has moved that
infrastructure away from the tourism precinct to prevent infiltration of
pollutants into the pristine Shark Bay area. Aspen Parks has done a really good
job, and I am pleased to see that in a remote part of Western Australia such as
Monkey Mia we can have a tourism resort that rivals any of the other
international destinations that talk about how great their dolphins are.
However, at Monkey Mia, people can come and stay at a top-class resort and have
an experience with the dolphins.
Unlike those opposite, who bag out
tourism in Western Australia, we on this side of the house talk up tourism. I
am proud of Monkey Mia resort and what it has achieved.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Albany!
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