❓ Mr. Scaife asks the Premier about initiatives to sustain tourism growth and the resulting economic benefits. The Premier highlights direct flights, marketing campaigns, and the industry's economic contribution.
AnsweredQoN 415Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DIVERSIFY WA — TOURISM
415. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook government's
commitment to diversifying the economy.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house what initiatives are underway to sustain growth in
tourism in Western Australia?
(2) What economic benefits will flow
from these initiatives?
415. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook government's
commitment to diversifying the economy.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house what initiatives are underway to sustain growth in
tourism in Western Australia?
(2) What economic benefits will flow
from these initiatives?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. It is a very important one. Tourism will
continue to play an important part in our economy and it is growing in its
importance. We have come a long way since the 1980s in our tourism product and
how we present it to the community. Back then, people might have been able to
see a postcard of an aerial view of the city
as it was, or maybe of London Court or the flour mill in South Perth . The sophistication and operation of our tourism
industry has come on in leaps and bounds since that time. We are very
proud of the work that has been done to continue to take Western Australia out
into the community. For instance, nowadays social media and other forms of
media are used. People will see quokka selfies and the exquisite cuisine in Western
Australia or the quintessential turquoise beaches. If you were walking through Tokyo's popular Shinjuku or Harajuku
districts, you would see Ningaloo R eef's iconic whale sharks
swimming on billboards above commuters, similarly as you would have seen them
in Times Square, New York; or Piccadilly Circus during the promotions there.
We are really excited to say that Western
Australia is becoming reconnected to the world. The latest Walking on a Dream
campaign follows the launch of ticket sales of All Nippon Airways direct
flights between Tokyo and Perth last week. These non-stop flights will give
Japanese visitors a direct route to Western Australia and really make sure we
can grow that particular tourism market. Before the pandemic, Western Australia
welcomed nearly 39 000 visitors from Japan who spent an estimated $71 million
every year in our state. We want to continue to build on that.
I am very pleased to say that we also
welcome the direct flights to Rome for the 2023 season. This is a really good
example of how potent these direct flights are for our tourism industry. The
flights will run three days a week until 3 October, with more than 22 000 seats
for passengers over the four-month period. As an example, in 2019, Italy was
ranked Western Australia's twenty-third biggest international market
for visitors. In 2022, that moved up to eleventh position. That is a demonstration
of how important these direct flights are to
bringing people to Western Australia. There is no limit to our tourism
potential. One of the reasons we are
very pleased to welcome Hon Rita Saffioti into the role of Minister for Tourism
is because we know she will drive tourism, not just from Italy —
Ms R. Saffioti : But
predominantly from Italy!
Mr
R.H. COOK : Predominantly from
Italy, I suspect! She will drive tourism not just from Italy, but continue to
make sure that we reconnect Western Australia to the rest of the world. We have
reconnected over 13 of the 19 direct flights that existed prior to the
pandemic. There are still challenges, but we are making great headway. In 2022,
this industry had a $14 billion visitor spend; that contrasted to our next
biggest year in 2019 when the visitor spend was $13.5 billion.
We know tourism is fun. It is about
holidays, it is about people enjoying themselves, but it is also a serious part
of our economy. A $14 billion economy that in 2019 represented the jobs of over
100 000 Western Australians is an important part of our economy as we move to
diversify and ensure we take Western Australia to the world with a great
tourism product.
thank the member for the question. It is a very important one. Tourism will
continue to play an important part in our economy and it is growing in its
importance. We have come a long way since the 1980s in our tourism product and
how we present it to the community. Back then, people might have been able to
see a postcard of an aerial view of the city
as it was, or maybe of London Court or the flour mill in South Perth . The sophistication and operation of our tourism
industry has come on in leaps and bounds since that time. We are very
proud of the work that has been done to continue to take Western Australia out
into the community. For instance, nowadays social media and other forms of
media are used. People will see quokka selfies and the exquisite cuisine in Western
Australia or the quintessential turquoise beaches. If you were walking through Tokyo's popular Shinjuku or Harajuku
districts, you would see Ningaloo R eef's iconic whale sharks
swimming on billboards above commuters, similarly as you would have seen them
in Times Square, New York; or Piccadilly Circus during the promotions there.
We are really excited to say that Western
Australia is becoming reconnected to the world. The latest Walking on a Dream
campaign follows the launch of ticket sales of All Nippon Airways direct
flights between Tokyo and Perth last week. These non-stop flights will give
Japanese visitors a direct route to Western Australia and really make sure we
can grow that particular tourism market. Before the pandemic, Western Australia
welcomed nearly 39 000 visitors from Japan who spent an estimated $71 million
every year in our state. We want to continue to build on that.
I am very pleased to say that we also
welcome the direct flights to Rome for the 2023 season. This is a really good
example of how potent these direct flights are for our tourism industry. The
flights will run three days a week until 3 October, with more than 22 000 seats
for passengers over the four-month period. As an example, in 2019, Italy was
ranked Western Australia's twenty-third biggest international market
for visitors. In 2022, that moved up to eleventh position. That is a demonstration
of how important these direct flights are to
bringing people to Western Australia. There is no limit to our tourism
potential. One of the reasons we are
very pleased to welcome Hon Rita Saffioti into the role of Minister for Tourism
is because we know she will drive tourism, not just from Italy —
Ms R. Saffioti : But
predominantly from Italy!
Mr
R.H. COOK : Predominantly from
Italy, I suspect! She will drive tourism not just from Italy, but continue to
make sure that we reconnect Western Australia to the rest of the world. We have
reconnected over 13 of the 19 direct flights that existed prior to the
pandemic. There are still challenges, but we are making great headway. In 2022,
this industry had a $14 billion visitor spend; that contrasted to our next
biggest year in 2019 when the visitor spend was $13.5 billion.
We know tourism is fun. It is about
holidays, it is about people enjoying themselves, but it is also a serious part
of our economy. A $14 billion economy that in 2019 represented the jobs of over
100 000 Western Australians is an important part of our economy as we move to
diversify and ensure we take Western Australia to the world with a great
tourism product.
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