Talking Tourism

Registrations now open for Ni Hao WA 2020

Tourism WA invites accredited WA operators to participate in Ni Hao WA 2020. The sixth annual event will be held in Perth on Monday, March 9, 2020. Ni Hao, which means “hello” in Mandarin, will provide a cost-effective opportunity for WA tourism operators to meet and showcase their business to key agents from the Greater China (China and Hong Kong) region. For the first time at Ni Hao WA, Tourism WA will work with the Perth Convention Bureau to include Incentive Group agents to enable operators to develop their business in this sector. The event will include a sellers’ briefing, a B2B workshop and familiarisation tours of WA’s regions to ensure visiting agents get to experience all WA has to offer first-hand. For more information and to register for Ni Hao WA 2020, please click here.

WA shines at ATEC Awards of Excellence

WA came away with two accolades at the Australian Tourism Export Council’s annual Awards of Excellence held in Brisbane last night. WA Pearl of Australia’s Jesse Hornblow was one of three young exceptional ATEC members who were awarded the Len Taylor Young ATEC Award for Leadership. ATEC’s Branch of the Year was awarded to Western Australia for the second year running. ATEC Managing Director Peter Shelley said the collective efforts of the branch has resulted in significant membership growth as well as the development and delivery of leading training programs for WA. He said the three young industry leaders had shown great initiative, commitment and innovation.

Rottnest, Fremantle and Coral Coast in US media

Fremantle and Rottnest Island have been included in two separate feature articles in Forbes online, to a total unique monthly audience of nearly 30 million. Tourism WA recently hosted Sandra Macgregor during the Western Australia Gourmet Escape, and she took time out from the event to discover Fremantle’s unique heritage, arts scene and foodie offering. Read the article here. Kaeli Conforti’s article about Rottnest Island highlights the beaches and quokkas as key to Perth’s holiday paradise being a must for any visitor to Western Australia – read it here. Rottnest Island was also featured in an article in Uproxx which promotes driving along the Coral Coast as a dream for wildlife lovers – from whale sharks to manta rays, turtles, emus and sea lions. Uproxx has an audience of almost 10.2 million. Read the article here.

International and domestic media experience Gourmet Escape

Tourism WA’s domestic and international PR teams recently secured a select group of top-tier media to showcase the inaugural Western Australia Gourmet Escape. Media from Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and North America; as well as two editors from key domestic publications Good Food (The Age and Sydney Morning Herald) and Virgin’s inflight magazine Voyeur, visited Perth, the Swan Valley and Margaret River. Experiences and products reflected story themes and ideas pitched to the media by Tourism WA. These included Perth's transformation and its new hotel scene, as well as Margaret River and Perth's food and wine and nature-based offerings. Tourism WA would like to thank all of the participating operators including Australia’s South West, who partnered with Tourism WA on the famil.

Expedia campaign targets US visitors over summer

Tourism WA recently partnered with one of the world’s biggest online travel agents, Expedia, to attract American visitors over the summer period and beyond. The campaign featured a newly developed content hub profiling Western Australia’s five regions, as well as ‘Aquatic and Coastal’, ‘Nature and Wildlife’, and ‘Food and Wine’ themes to position the state as a must-do Australian holiday destination.

UK Trailfinders agents get creative at brochure launch event

The stunning Kimberley region was in the spotlight at a creative training event in London this month. Held by the Tourism WA UK team in partnership with Trailfinders, the night celebrated the launch of the Kimberley section which included six additional pages to the new brochure. A destination overview, quiz and painting class using the Bungle Bungle Range as inspiration, were some of the activities enjoyed by attendees. Timed to reflect the lead-up to peak booking periods in the UK, the event aimed to increase travel agents’ knowledge and promote Perth as Australia’s primary entry point for visitors wanting to explore regional Western Australia.

Call for Abstracts for the World Indigenous Tourism Summit

The third World Indigenous Tourism Summit is being held in Perth in April 2020 and a call for abstracts is open until Friday, December 13.  Organised by the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC), and hosted by Tourism WA, the summit is expected to attract hundreds of delegates from around Australia and the world. The summit theme is “Tourism and Indigenous Earth Wisdom – Weaving the Future that Benefits All”. The theme will focus on key areas of Aboriginal tourism, including Youth, Environment, Culture, Aboriginal led research, Government best practice and the Business of Tourism. The abstract topic areas are available to view here. Register here for updates on the program.

East Kimberley and Perth in NZ Herald

Perth’s transformation, brewery scene and friendly locals have been profiled in the NZ Herald. Tourism WA hosted Patrick McKendry for the inaugural Bledisloe Cup held in Perth in August. The story touches on the city’s burgeoning bar scene and craft beer across the Swan Valley, Fremantle and city centre. Read the article here. The East Kimberley also recently featured in New Zealand’s most widely-distributed travel publication, the NZ Herald Travel. Stephanie Holmes was hosted by Tourism WA after the Australian Tourism Exchange in April and highlights the State’s spectacular outback wilderness and quality accommodation. The publication has a weekly online and print readership of 380,000. Read the article here.