❓ Mr Tallentire asks about the impact of the $12 million funding boost for international tourism marketing. The Minister details how the funding is being allocated to specific markets and advertising activities to attract more international holidaymakers and support the WA economy.
AnsweredQoN 459Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM — INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
459. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the $12 million funding boost that the McGowan
Labor government has provided to international marketing, on top of its already
record investment in tourism. Can the minister update the house on how this
funding is attracting more international holidaymakers to WA, supporting the
economy and creating jobs?
459. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the $12 million funding boost that the McGowan
Labor government has provided to international marketing, on top of its already
record investment in tourism. Can the minister update the house on how this
funding is attracting more international holidaymakers to WA, supporting the
economy and creating jobs?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question and for his interest in
supporting tourism. I particularly note the contribution of culturally and
linguistically diverse communities to the growth in international tourism.
Communities across the state are helping us to grow our connections with
potential markets. It is true that in March, the Premier and I announced an
additional $12 million for international marketing campaigns in this year's
budget. It comes on top of the $85 million every single year for five years
that we have already committed, which gives certainty to Tourism WA and enables
a much greater use of and return on taxpayers' expenditure in this
field of endeavour because of longer lead times on deal making. We are
basically increasing the funding in target markets in which we can shift the
dial in a hurry—a range of markets in which we know that if we increase
the spend, there will be a return in the near time frame. It is in two phases.
The first phase is in this financial year, with $3 million going into the
markets in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, with a view to growing them.
Singapore and Malaysia are our third and second-biggest source of visitors;
Hong Kong is in the top 10 as well. The remaining $9 million will come over the
next financial year and will go to 10 markets, being Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, India, Japan, China and Hong Kong, as well as the UK, Germany and
the United States. All of those markets can quickly provide a return in the
growth in the number of international visitors in the leisure market, which is
what we are really focusing on. Much of the marketing activity is going to be
in the form of cooperative advertising with airlines, overseas travel companies,
online travel agencies and inbound tour operators, who will match our
contribution. It will therefore be way more than $12 million, which is a 100 per
cent increase on our normal budgeting. It will be well in excess of double that
amount. That is a huge boost to what we normally spend on those international
markets, and it will get a return for us in the near future.
I place on record my thanks and congratulations to those
personnel in Tourism WA who have done an incredible amount of work,
particularly on the spend that is required this financial year. They have had a
very short time in which to prepare, get out there, make the deals and get the
money going into the places where it is needed to get the return and grow
visitor numbers from international holiday markets into WA, and fill our
hotels, hospitality outlets and tours and grow jobs. Tourism WA has done a great
job on that.
There will be a lot of advertising activity promoting a range
of travel and accommodation packages to WA. All of it will commence with the
intention of travel occurring before the end of this calendar year. When we
came to office, we inherited a neglected leisure market. During the boom, Western
Australia essentially did not have a leisure market. It collapsed. It was
masked by the high level of business travel to the state during the boom and
people who were working here during the boom, which made it look like we had a tourism
market. We did not have one. We are creating one. This spend will help. It is
an incredible contribution. It will fill our hotels, fill our hospitality
outlets, fill the booking sheets of our tourism operators and grow jobs right
across the state.
supporting tourism. I particularly note the contribution of culturally and
linguistically diverse communities to the growth in international tourism.
Communities across the state are helping us to grow our connections with
potential markets. It is true that in March, the Premier and I announced an
additional $12 million for international marketing campaigns in this year's
budget. It comes on top of the $85 million every single year for five years
that we have already committed, which gives certainty to Tourism WA and enables
a much greater use of and return on taxpayers' expenditure in this
field of endeavour because of longer lead times on deal making. We are
basically increasing the funding in target markets in which we can shift the
dial in a hurry—a range of markets in which we know that if we increase
the spend, there will be a return in the near time frame. It is in two phases.
The first phase is in this financial year, with $3 million going into the
markets in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, with a view to growing them.
Singapore and Malaysia are our third and second-biggest source of visitors;
Hong Kong is in the top 10 as well. The remaining $9 million will come over the
next financial year and will go to 10 markets, being Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, India, Japan, China and Hong Kong, as well as the UK, Germany and
the United States. All of those markets can quickly provide a return in the
growth in the number of international visitors in the leisure market, which is
what we are really focusing on. Much of the marketing activity is going to be
in the form of cooperative advertising with airlines, overseas travel companies,
online travel agencies and inbound tour operators, who will match our
contribution. It will therefore be way more than $12 million, which is a 100 per
cent increase on our normal budgeting. It will be well in excess of double that
amount. That is a huge boost to what we normally spend on those international
markets, and it will get a return for us in the near future.
I place on record my thanks and congratulations to those
personnel in Tourism WA who have done an incredible amount of work,
particularly on the spend that is required this financial year. They have had a
very short time in which to prepare, get out there, make the deals and get the
money going into the places where it is needed to get the return and grow
visitor numbers from international holiday markets into WA, and fill our
hotels, hospitality outlets and tours and grow jobs. Tourism WA has done a great
job on that.
There will be a lot of advertising activity promoting a range
of travel and accommodation packages to WA. All of it will commence with the
intention of travel occurring before the end of this calendar year. When we
came to office, we inherited a neglected leisure market. During the boom, Western
Australia essentially did not have a leisure market. It collapsed. It was
masked by the high level of business travel to the state during the boom and
people who were working here during the boom, which made it look like we had a tourism
market. We did not have one. We are creating one. This spend will help. It is
an incredible contribution. It will fill our hotels, fill our hospitality
outlets, fill the booking sheets of our tourism operators and grow jobs right
across the state.
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