❓ Mrs. Harvey questions the Premier's promotion of Wotif, an American company, for WA holidays, arguing it betrays local travel agents. The Premier defends the campaign, highlighting its success in boosting WA tourism and explaining the use of Expedia due to the lack of a suitable WA alternative.
AnsweredQoN 641Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM —
ACCOMMODATION — OVERSEAS BOOKING PLATFORMS
641. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
What does the Premier have to say
to all our struggling travel agents who feel betrayed because he has been
telling Western Australians to book their holidays through American company
Wotif?
ACCOMMODATION — OVERSEAS BOOKING PLATFORMS
641. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
What does the Premier have to say
to all our struggling travel agents who feel betrayed because he has been
telling Western Australians to book their holidays through American company
Wotif?
AnswerView source ↗
Yesterday, we launched our second
campaign to encourage Western Australians to holiday at home. The first
campaign was Wander out Yonder, which has been extremely successful in getting Western
Australians to holiday throughout Western Australia. The evidence is that the
number of bookings and the tourism activity throughout regional Western Australia
have been absolutely unprecedented. Of course, that has also resulted in people
looking at other holiday opportunities within Western Australia. The hard border
with the east and the international border mean,
of course, that we cannot go anywhere else on holidays, so we are promoting
opportunities within our state, and they have gone very well. Yesterday,
the Australian Hotels Association, the Minister for Tourism, the member for Perth, the Minister for Culture and the
Arts and I launched the $500 000 staycation program, comprising eight
initiatives to encourage Western Australians to holiday in our city, not just
in regional WA. The program comprises a number of partnerships with local media
organisations, local marketing companies, the RAC and the like. The vast
majority of the campaign spend will go to Western Australian companies. The
booking component of the program uses, as I understand it, Expedia Group because,
as I am advised, no Western Australian company does that. Obviously, we had to
find one from elsewhere to do the online booking component. But if people wish
to book a holiday at a Perth hotel using a travel agent, of course they can do
so. In my experience, not many people use a travel agent to book a holiday at a
Perth hotel. Ordinarily, they call the hotel or go online and find a deal.
These days, I would expect that 95 per cent of people would do that. In fact,
it is probably more than 95 per cent; probably
99 per cent of people would do that. Although we are very sympathetic to travel
agents in Western Australia— we will have more to say about that—we
are merely trying to get as many Western Australians as possible to holiday at
home, and the evidence is that our program is working.
campaign to encourage Western Australians to holiday at home. The first
campaign was Wander out Yonder, which has been extremely successful in getting Western
Australians to holiday throughout Western Australia. The evidence is that the
number of bookings and the tourism activity throughout regional Western Australia
have been absolutely unprecedented. Of course, that has also resulted in people
looking at other holiday opportunities within Western Australia. The hard border
with the east and the international border mean,
of course, that we cannot go anywhere else on holidays, so we are promoting
opportunities within our state, and they have gone very well. Yesterday,
the Australian Hotels Association, the Minister for Tourism, the member for Perth, the Minister for Culture and the
Arts and I launched the $500 000 staycation program, comprising eight
initiatives to encourage Western Australians to holiday in our city, not just
in regional WA. The program comprises a number of partnerships with local media
organisations, local marketing companies, the RAC and the like. The vast
majority of the campaign spend will go to Western Australian companies. The
booking component of the program uses, as I understand it, Expedia Group because,
as I am advised, no Western Australian company does that. Obviously, we had to
find one from elsewhere to do the online booking component. But if people wish
to book a holiday at a Perth hotel using a travel agent, of course they can do
so. In my experience, not many people use a travel agent to book a holiday at a
Perth hotel. Ordinarily, they call the hotel or go online and find a deal.
These days, I would expect that 95 per cent of people would do that. In fact,
it is probably more than 95 per cent; probably
99 per cent of people would do that. Although we are very sympathetic to travel
agents in Western Australia— we will have more to say about that—we
are merely trying to get as many Western Australians as possible to holiday at
home, and the evidence is that our program is working.
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