❓ Mr. Tallentire asks the Minister for Tourism about record international visitor numbers and the government's efforts to attract more tourists. The Minister highlights WA's leading growth in international tourism and attributes it to the government's actions after inheriting challenges from the previous administration.
AnsweredQoN 214Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM —
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
214. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the latest international
tourism figures, which show a record number of visitors coming to Western Australia
for a holiday. Can the minister outline to the house why Western Australia's
tourism industry should be encouraged by these figures, and advise the house
how the McGowan Labor government is driving efforts to attract more visitors to
WA, support the tourism sector, and create more jobs in the industry?
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
214. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the latest international
tourism figures, which show a record number of visitors coming to Western Australia
for a holiday. Can the minister outline to the house why Western Australia's
tourism industry should be encouraged by these figures, and advise the house
how the McGowan Labor government is driving efforts to attract more visitors to
WA, support the tourism sector, and create more jobs in the industry?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question.
It is very encouraging to see the Tourism Research Australia statistics about
international visitors coming to Western Australia for holidays. We lead the
nation with 12.6 per cent growth, compared with the national average —
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse!
Mr P. PAPALIA : Compared with
the average growth across the nation of 5.8 per cent, it is more than double.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Vasse, if you want to ask a question,
get up. Do not answer someone else's question.
Mr P. PAPALIA : It is almost
double. It is 12 times more than Queensland's growth of one per cent.
It is more than double Victoria's growth of 6.2 per cent. It is about
four times New South Wales growth, which is 3.3 per cent. These are very
encouraging numbers, which show that our international market is growing at the
fastest rate in the country. These figures come hot on the heels of the
National Visitor Survey statistics, which showed that interstate holiday
numbers were growing at 21.4 per cent. People are flooding across the Nullarbor
to visit Western Australia for a holiday. Both those things are good. Why is it
encouraging? Let us look at what those figures represent.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, please. That is your last warning. I have given you three.
Mr P. PAPALIA : These
international visitor statistics are for the 12 months to December 2018. It is
the first time we have a view of statistics that are post-2017. What happened
in 2017?
Mr W.J. Johnston : A change of
government!
Mr P. PAPALIA : A wonderful
change of government! As a consequence, the McGowan government took on the
burden of eight and a half years of neglect of the tourism sector and was
confronted with a lot of challenges. The previous government had lost the
Margaret River Pro, so we had to save the Margaret River Pro. No sooner had we
done that than we learnt that we were going to lose cruise shipping as a consequence
of the previous government's neglect, so we had to save cruise
shipping. Seven years before, the previous government had closed the eastern
states marketing office, so we had to reopen that. Most importantly, we
inherited the previous government's Tourism 2020 strategy, which was
extant all through 2017. Near the end of 2017 we were told by the Auditor General
that it was not working and was a waste of time because it was written at a different
time. We tasked Tourism Western Australia to work with industry to create a new
plan—a two-year action plan—which was finally launched in March
last year. Within three months of the launch, interstate numbers started to
grow. Within nine months, we have seen the highest rate of international
visitor growth for holiday-makers in the country. We can be encouraged. I have
a message to the opposition and a message to the state: there is always more to
do. We acknowledge that there is always more to do, we have a plan and it is
working.
It is very encouraging to see the Tourism Research Australia statistics about
international visitors coming to Western Australia for holidays. We lead the
nation with 12.6 per cent growth, compared with the national average —
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse!
Mr P. PAPALIA : Compared with
the average growth across the nation of 5.8 per cent, it is more than double.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Vasse, if you want to ask a question,
get up. Do not answer someone else's question.
Mr P. PAPALIA : It is almost
double. It is 12 times more than Queensland's growth of one per cent.
It is more than double Victoria's growth of 6.2 per cent. It is about
four times New South Wales growth, which is 3.3 per cent. These are very
encouraging numbers, which show that our international market is growing at the
fastest rate in the country. These figures come hot on the heels of the
National Visitor Survey statistics, which showed that interstate holiday
numbers were growing at 21.4 per cent. People are flooding across the Nullarbor
to visit Western Australia for a holiday. Both those things are good. Why is it
encouraging? Let us look at what those figures represent.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, please. That is your last warning. I have given you three.
Mr P. PAPALIA : These
international visitor statistics are for the 12 months to December 2018. It is
the first time we have a view of statistics that are post-2017. What happened
in 2017?
Mr W.J. Johnston : A change of
government!
Mr P. PAPALIA : A wonderful
change of government! As a consequence, the McGowan government took on the
burden of eight and a half years of neglect of the tourism sector and was
confronted with a lot of challenges. The previous government had lost the
Margaret River Pro, so we had to save the Margaret River Pro. No sooner had we
done that than we learnt that we were going to lose cruise shipping as a consequence
of the previous government's neglect, so we had to save cruise
shipping. Seven years before, the previous government had closed the eastern
states marketing office, so we had to reopen that. Most importantly, we
inherited the previous government's Tourism 2020 strategy, which was
extant all through 2017. Near the end of 2017 we were told by the Auditor General
that it was not working and was a waste of time because it was written at a different
time. We tasked Tourism Western Australia to work with industry to create a new
plan—a two-year action plan—which was finally launched in March
last year. Within three months of the launch, interstate numbers started to
grow. Within nine months, we have seen the highest rate of international
visitor growth for holiday-makers in the country. We can be encouraged. I have
a message to the opposition and a message to the state: there is always more to
do. We acknowledge that there is always more to do, we have a plan and it is
working.
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