❓ Mrs. Hayden questions the Premier about Tourism WA's performance, specifically a missed visitor spend target. The Premier defends the Tourism Minister, highlighting increased tourist numbers and initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 960Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM — VISITOR
SPEND
960. Mrs A.K. HAYDEN to the Premier:
I would like to —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I am a man
of the people.
Mrs A.K. HAYDEN : I, too,
would like to acknowledge the Perth hills Wheels people here today as a guest
of the member for Kalamunda and I welcome them to Parliament.
I refer to the key performance
indicators on page 77 of Tourism Western Australia's annual report. Is
the Premier aware that the Minister for Tourism missed his target on the
visitor spend by $400 million in the last financial year and that —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs A.K. HAYDEN : —
after two years of his government, tourism visitor spend is still well below
what this government inherited from the previous government?
SPEND
960. Mrs A.K. HAYDEN to the Premier:
I would like to —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I am a man
of the people.
Mrs A.K. HAYDEN : I, too,
would like to acknowledge the Perth hills Wheels people here today as a guest
of the member for Kalamunda and I welcome them to Parliament.
I refer to the key performance
indicators on page 77 of Tourism Western Australia's annual report. Is
the Premier aware that the Minister for Tourism missed his target on the
visitor spend by $400 million in the last financial year and that —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs A.K. HAYDEN : —
after two years of his government, tourism visitor spend is still well below
what this government inherited from the previous government?
AnswerView source ↗
There is one thing I am confident in
and that is that the Minister for Tourism is attracting more tourists. We have
more tourists coming in from interstate and overseas than ever before. From
memory, we have had a 12 per cent jump in international tourists over the
course of the last year. Recently, the minister and I went to the airport and
launched the All Nippon Airways flights from Tokyo. We have had direct flights
from Shanghai to Perth start, on a trial basis, admittedly, but we are working
to make that permanent. We have reopened the eastern states office in Sydney
and enormous additional tourism numbers are coming into Western Australia, but
the only thing we hear from the Liberal
Party is complaint. The one thing that is universally acknowledged across the
tourism sector in Western Australia is that we have a very successful and
proactive tourism minister. He has run the quokka strategy —the
quokka strategy is world famous.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : It is.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Vasse!
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Who was it?
Government members: Shawn Mendes.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Shawn Mendes—there
you go.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : He is a singer,
isn't he?
The SPEAKER : He is a cricketer
for Sri Lanka, isn't he?
Mr M. McGOWAN : He is well
known, Mr Speaker!
Across the board there has been
enormous growth in tourism numbers, tourism spend, international flights,
international visitors, interstate visitors and intrastate visitors all over Western
Australia. That is the reality; that is a fact.
Recently I drove to Kalbarri and
spent a few days up there with my wife and children. It is a lovely town. The
number of local and international tourists on Indian Ocean Drive and heading
north was absolutely extraordinary. At Nature's Window—I do not
know whether members have been there—there was a big line of people
lining up to get a photo; it must have been 50 or 60-people long. That is what
is occurring all over Western Australia with tourism numbers. All I know is that
the member for Darling Range sometimes gets her facts wrong, and by ''sometimes''
I mean always! Whatever facts or whatever she quotes will no doubt be
inaccurate and wrong.
and that is that the Minister for Tourism is attracting more tourists. We have
more tourists coming in from interstate and overseas than ever before. From
memory, we have had a 12 per cent jump in international tourists over the
course of the last year. Recently, the minister and I went to the airport and
launched the All Nippon Airways flights from Tokyo. We have had direct flights
from Shanghai to Perth start, on a trial basis, admittedly, but we are working
to make that permanent. We have reopened the eastern states office in Sydney
and enormous additional tourism numbers are coming into Western Australia, but
the only thing we hear from the Liberal
Party is complaint. The one thing that is universally acknowledged across the
tourism sector in Western Australia is that we have a very successful and
proactive tourism minister. He has run the quokka strategy —the
quokka strategy is world famous.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : It is.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Vasse!
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Who was it?
Government members: Shawn Mendes.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Shawn Mendes—there
you go.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : He is a singer,
isn't he?
The SPEAKER : He is a cricketer
for Sri Lanka, isn't he?
Mr M. McGOWAN : He is well
known, Mr Speaker!
Across the board there has been
enormous growth in tourism numbers, tourism spend, international flights,
international visitors, interstate visitors and intrastate visitors all over Western
Australia. That is the reality; that is a fact.
Recently I drove to Kalbarri and
spent a few days up there with my wife and children. It is a lovely town. The
number of local and international tourists on Indian Ocean Drive and heading
north was absolutely extraordinary. At Nature's Window—I do not
know whether members have been there—there was a big line of people
lining up to get a photo; it must have been 50 or 60-people long. That is what
is occurring all over Western Australia with tourism numbers. All I know is that
the member for Darling Range sometimes gets her facts wrong, and by ''sometimes''
I mean always! Whatever facts or whatever she quotes will no doubt be
inaccurate and wrong.
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