❓ Mr. Punch questions the Tourism Minister on how the "Western Australia the Road Trip State" campaign will target key tourism markets. The Minister details efforts to address declining working holiday maker numbers and the campaign's focus on attracting younger demographics for road trips.
AnsweredQoN 877Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM — ''WESTERN
AUSTRALIA THE ROAD TRIP STATE'' CAMPAIGN
877. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's determination to grow interstate and international tourism
through its ''Two Year Action Plan for Tourism Western Australia —
2018 and 2019''.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time. Member for Bunbury, start again.
Mr D.T. PUNCH : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's determination to grow interstate and international tourism
through its ''Two Year Action Plan''.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
Mr D.T. PUNCH : Can the
minister outline to the house how the new ''Western Australia the Road
Trip State'' tourism campaign will target key tourism markets for Western
Australia?
AUSTRALIA THE ROAD TRIP STATE'' CAMPAIGN
877. Mr D.T. PUNCH to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's determination to grow interstate and international tourism
through its ''Two Year Action Plan for Tourism Western Australia —
2018 and 2019''.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time. Member for Bunbury, start again.
Mr D.T. PUNCH : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's determination to grow interstate and international tourism
through its ''Two Year Action Plan''.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
Mr D.T. PUNCH : Can the
minister outline to the house how the new ''Western Australia the Road
Trip State'' tourism campaign will target key tourism markets for Western
Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
At the outset, can I take the
opportunity to extend thanks from myself and my family to those in this
chamber, parliamentary and electorate office and ministerial office staff, and
public servants, and members of the business community
and the community more broadly, for their support at the loss of my mother. It
is very much appreciated.
As the member indicated, we have a ''Two
Year Action Plan'' developed by Tourism WA, in conjunction with the
Tourism Council, the Australian Hotels Association and other peak bodies, and
business representatives across the state, to focus on boosting our visitor
numbers from both interstate and intrastate, and overseas. A big element of why
we are suffering with regard to international visitor numbers is the
significant decline in working holiday makers. Working holiday makers—backpackers—is
a significant sector of the market. They come from our key markets—the
United Kingdom, New Zealand and Germany—and they stay for a long time.
They work in the hospitality sector. They work in horticulture and on farms.
They provide a big contribution in that way. But they also save their money,
and they often then splurge. They contributed to overnight stay numbers. They
contributed to the numbers coming into our state from some of those key
markets. They have declined. Tourism Research Australia statistics confirm that
over the last five years, the number of working holiday makers coming to Western
Australia has declined by eight per cent on average every single year.
Mr D.C. Nalder : Why?
Mr P. PAPALIA : Because we had
a boom; and, post the boom, we lost our reputation for having jobs.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr P. PAPALIA : The reason we have a decline in working
holiday makers is because there was no work for them to come to. Post the boom,
we went into four consecutive years of domestic recession. The message got out
to the world that we have no jobs. If you are a working holiday maker looking
to come to Australia for a holiday and to get work, you are not going to come
to the highest unemployment rate state in the nation. That is why they did not
come, and that is why our working holiday market has collapsed.
We are doing something about it.
Earlier this year, we launched a Student Travel Association campaign in Europe,
targeting our biggest markets—the UK and Germany—worth $300 000.
It has had a significant impact. From January to June this year, 2 357 people
have booked from the UK and 806 people have booked from Germany as a result of
that campaign. That is an economic impact from the UK of $4 219 600, a return
on investment of 34:1. From Germany, 806 PAX, economic impact $1.429 million,
and a return on investment of 11.1:1.
That was a campaign that has already
been successful. But the ''Western Australia the Road Trip State''
campaign focuses specifically on that market. The working holiday makers love
road trips. The younger demographic love road trips. If we grow our state's
reputation as the place to come to in the world for unique, extraordinary road
trips, we will help boost the working holiday market and we will boost our
numbers, particularly from Germany, the UK and New Zealand, those big markets
that have dropped in recent times.
We are very focused on working with
industry to be positive about growing tourism numbers, and we will continue to
do that. It would be wonderful were everyone in this place to focus on building
tourism numbers, building the statistics and growing the opportunity for Western
Australian businesses, particularly small businesses, instead of constantly
looking for any negative they can find in any announcement.
opportunity to extend thanks from myself and my family to those in this
chamber, parliamentary and electorate office and ministerial office staff, and
public servants, and members of the business community
and the community more broadly, for their support at the loss of my mother. It
is very much appreciated.
As the member indicated, we have a ''Two
Year Action Plan'' developed by Tourism WA, in conjunction with the
Tourism Council, the Australian Hotels Association and other peak bodies, and
business representatives across the state, to focus on boosting our visitor
numbers from both interstate and intrastate, and overseas. A big element of why
we are suffering with regard to international visitor numbers is the
significant decline in working holiday makers. Working holiday makers—backpackers—is
a significant sector of the market. They come from our key markets—the
United Kingdom, New Zealand and Germany—and they stay for a long time.
They work in the hospitality sector. They work in horticulture and on farms.
They provide a big contribution in that way. But they also save their money,
and they often then splurge. They contributed to overnight stay numbers. They
contributed to the numbers coming into our state from some of those key
markets. They have declined. Tourism Research Australia statistics confirm that
over the last five years, the number of working holiday makers coming to Western
Australia has declined by eight per cent on average every single year.
Mr D.C. Nalder : Why?
Mr P. PAPALIA : Because we had
a boom; and, post the boom, we lost our reputation for having jobs.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr P. PAPALIA : The reason we have a decline in working
holiday makers is because there was no work for them to come to. Post the boom,
we went into four consecutive years of domestic recession. The message got out
to the world that we have no jobs. If you are a working holiday maker looking
to come to Australia for a holiday and to get work, you are not going to come
to the highest unemployment rate state in the nation. That is why they did not
come, and that is why our working holiday market has collapsed.
We are doing something about it.
Earlier this year, we launched a Student Travel Association campaign in Europe,
targeting our biggest markets—the UK and Germany—worth $300 000.
It has had a significant impact. From January to June this year, 2 357 people
have booked from the UK and 806 people have booked from Germany as a result of
that campaign. That is an economic impact from the UK of $4 219 600, a return
on investment of 34:1. From Germany, 806 PAX, economic impact $1.429 million,
and a return on investment of 11.1:1.
That was a campaign that has already
been successful. But the ''Western Australia the Road Trip State''
campaign focuses specifically on that market. The working holiday makers love
road trips. The younger demographic love road trips. If we grow our state's
reputation as the place to come to in the world for unique, extraordinary road
trips, we will help boost the working holiday market and we will boost our
numbers, particularly from Germany, the UK and New Zealand, those big markets
that have dropped in recent times.
We are very focused on working with
industry to be positive about growing tourism numbers, and we will continue to
do that. It would be wonderful were everyone in this place to focus on building
tourism numbers, building the statistics and growing the opportunity for Western
Australian businesses, particularly small businesses, instead of constantly
looking for any negative they can find in any announcement.
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