❓ The Minister for Tourism provides an update on intrastate tourism spending and initiatives, highlighting significant growth and support for local jobs and businesses through various campaigns and programs.
AnsweredQoN 852Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM —
INTRASTATE VISITATION
852. Ms E.J. KELSBIE to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's efforts in supporting our tourism industry, including its
investment in driving intrastate and regional visitation across Western Australia.
(1) Can the minister update the house on tourism
spending across Western Australia during the past 12 months and outline
what campaigns have helped drive this spending?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this government's efforts have supported
local jobs and local businesses in the tourism sector?
INTRASTATE VISITATION
852. Ms E.J. KELSBIE to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's efforts in supporting our tourism industry, including its
investment in driving intrastate and regional visitation across Western Australia.
(1) Can the minister update the house on tourism
spending across Western Australia during the past 12 months and outline
what campaigns have helped drive this spending?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this government's efforts have supported
local jobs and local businesses in the tourism sector?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for Warren–Blackwood. I
particularly thank her for her ongoing support for the tourism sector in her region. I know that she worked very
closely with many, many of the operators and tourism and visitor proprietors in her electorate and the
wider region. Well done. This is great news. The recent statistics of
our intrastate visitation for the last quarter are quite remarkable. As we
know, the ongoing Wander Out Yonder campaign has been encouraging Western Australians
in particular to go out into the regions and experience the beauty and
uniqueness of many of our wonderful regional assets. Our Wander Out Yonder and
our Relook and Book campaigns have been very, very active and have resulted in
some staggering statistics. Overnight intrastate spend in August, for example,
was $626 million. That is 74 per cent higher than
in August 2019 when, in fact, during that period, we were already seeing great
visitation numbers anyway , but this is a remarkable outcome. Overnight
intrastate trips increased by 19 per cent on August 2019 figures—so up
19 per cent. Strong growth in intrastate spend grew by 11 per cent, again
compared with August 2019. Domestic overnight spend in regional WA was $533 million—growth
of 39 per cent since 2019. These are remarkable figures. They are great figures
for our tourism industry and for our operators, particularly in the regions.
The Kimberley Wanderer Pass
encourages Western Australians to wander out yonder in the spectacular East Kimberley
region and it provides $300 towards East Kimberley experiences. Kalbarri
vouchers are a response to the cyclone that
impacted on that community earlier this year. Phases 1 and 2 of the Stay and Play campaign generated 7 000 extra rooms across two stages. We have our Jina: Western Australian Aboriginal tourism
action plan 2021–2025 ,
which was pioneered by the former Minister for Tourism, and I appreciate
the work that was put into that. It is an action plan aimed at setting up Western
Australia as the premier place for an
Aboriginal tourism experience. The affordable airfare program has provided more than 40 000 discount airfares from Perth to Broome and from Kununurra to
Exmouth. Those subsidised fares have encouraged people to have an affordable
holiday in those regional centres. The Hospitality Job Connect program was
developed to help address work shortages. It has been extended into regional
areas including Kununurra, Broome, Geraldton, Margaret River, Albany and
Mandurah.
The McGowan government has also
supported 75 tourism events over the last 12 months over the length and breadth
of the state, including the CinefestOZ Film Festival in the member for Warren–Blackwood's
region, the Ord Valley Muster in the north and Shinju Matsuri in Broome as just
some examples. The Ord Valley Muster, for example, was a sellout. It attracted
2 300 visitors to that area that included almost 24 000 night stays and it
injected $6 million into the economy.
The expansion of the Getting the Show
Back on the Road program, which has been underpinned and supported through a risk-share
scheme, has again supported events to take place. Members opposite may be aware
that last year, many of our agricultural shows were cancelled due to COVID.
This year, with the support of the Getting
the Show Back on the Road program, most of them were held and many of them had record crowd numbers. The Waroona Show that I went to in my region was
remarkable. It had its best figures ever.
All these are examples of supporting
regional tourism businesses in Western Australia, focusing on the great stories that our regions have to tell,
focusing on the great product and focusing on the great characters , the people, who live and work in those regions and
are selling the state to Western Australians. But we know that as we
prepare for the borders to open once again, we want to be ready to welcome back
international and interstate guests and
visitors. We are ready and we want to make sure that their experience is
exceptional . We want to make sure that Western Australia is the go-to
place for those people who seek to experience some remarkable product and we
welcome them back.
I thank the member for Warren–Blackwood
for her question and for her passion for tourism and the visitor economy. You
are brilliant and I think you are wonderful!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
particularly thank her for her ongoing support for the tourism sector in her region. I know that she worked very
closely with many, many of the operators and tourism and visitor proprietors in her electorate and the
wider region. Well done. This is great news. The recent statistics of
our intrastate visitation for the last quarter are quite remarkable. As we
know, the ongoing Wander Out Yonder campaign has been encouraging Western Australians
in particular to go out into the regions and experience the beauty and
uniqueness of many of our wonderful regional assets. Our Wander Out Yonder and
our Relook and Book campaigns have been very, very active and have resulted in
some staggering statistics. Overnight intrastate spend in August, for example,
was $626 million. That is 74 per cent higher than
in August 2019 when, in fact, during that period, we were already seeing great
visitation numbers anyway , but this is a remarkable outcome. Overnight
intrastate trips increased by 19 per cent on August 2019 figures—so up
19 per cent. Strong growth in intrastate spend grew by 11 per cent, again
compared with August 2019. Domestic overnight spend in regional WA was $533 million—growth
of 39 per cent since 2019. These are remarkable figures. They are great figures
for our tourism industry and for our operators, particularly in the regions.
The Kimberley Wanderer Pass
encourages Western Australians to wander out yonder in the spectacular East Kimberley
region and it provides $300 towards East Kimberley experiences. Kalbarri
vouchers are a response to the cyclone that
impacted on that community earlier this year. Phases 1 and 2 of the Stay and Play campaign generated 7 000 extra rooms across two stages. We have our Jina: Western Australian Aboriginal tourism
action plan 2021–2025 ,
which was pioneered by the former Minister for Tourism, and I appreciate
the work that was put into that. It is an action plan aimed at setting up Western
Australia as the premier place for an
Aboriginal tourism experience. The affordable airfare program has provided more than 40 000 discount airfares from Perth to Broome and from Kununurra to
Exmouth. Those subsidised fares have encouraged people to have an affordable
holiday in those regional centres. The Hospitality Job Connect program was
developed to help address work shortages. It has been extended into regional
areas including Kununurra, Broome, Geraldton, Margaret River, Albany and
Mandurah.
The McGowan government has also
supported 75 tourism events over the last 12 months over the length and breadth
of the state, including the CinefestOZ Film Festival in the member for Warren–Blackwood's
region, the Ord Valley Muster in the north and Shinju Matsuri in Broome as just
some examples. The Ord Valley Muster, for example, was a sellout. It attracted
2 300 visitors to that area that included almost 24 000 night stays and it
injected $6 million into the economy.
The expansion of the Getting the Show
Back on the Road program, which has been underpinned and supported through a risk-share
scheme, has again supported events to take place. Members opposite may be aware
that last year, many of our agricultural shows were cancelled due to COVID.
This year, with the support of the Getting
the Show Back on the Road program, most of them were held and many of them had record crowd numbers. The Waroona Show that I went to in my region was
remarkable. It had its best figures ever.
All these are examples of supporting
regional tourism businesses in Western Australia, focusing on the great stories that our regions have to tell,
focusing on the great product and focusing on the great characters , the people, who live and work in those regions and
are selling the state to Western Australians. But we know that as we
prepare for the borders to open once again, we want to be ready to welcome back
international and interstate guests and
visitors. We are ready and we want to make sure that their experience is
exceptional . We want to make sure that Western Australia is the go-to
place for those people who seek to experience some remarkable product and we
welcome them back.
I thank the member for Warren–Blackwood
for her question and for her passion for tourism and the visitor economy. You
are brilliant and I think you are wonderful!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
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