Western Australia sees $4.57 billion tourism growth from domestic travellers

By Rebeccah Elley · · 2 min read
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While New South Wales and Queensland are known for drawing in the big bucks when it comes to tourism, Western Australia has joined the travel players seeing a huge surge in visitors.

For the year ending December 2014, the International Visitor Survey showed WA received an 8% increase in international tourists, which resulted in $2.3 billion driven into the state economy. On top of this in the year ending March 2015, domestic tourism brought in $4.57 billion into the WA economy, according to the National Visitor Survey.

Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall said the increase showed more people were viewing Western Australia as a good value holiday destination.

“As the Australian dollar remains comparatively low, more people are choosing to holiday at home over international destinations like Bali,” Hall said.

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When it came to international travellers, the research showed there has been a shift away from business travellers visiting the area due to the resources sector, to international visitors simply visiting for leisure.

“These international visitors spend more in regional WA than business travellers, which are concentrated in Perth and mining towns,” Hall said.

The tourism boost is good news for locals looking for jobs, especially when the impact of the fading mining industry is considered. WA jobs have increased for coach drivers, hospitality workers and small businesses have also benefited from tourism, leading to greater levels of employment.

Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall explained, “As the economic impact of the mining sector declines, tourism is emerging as a powerful sector in terms of job creation and economic input.”

“The tourism industry is a valuable contributor to employment in this State, creating 94,000 jobs for Western Australians.”