Get involved in 2024 NAIDOC Week
As part of 2024 National NAIDOC Week, we encourage you to take part in one of the many activations around WA that honour the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture. In Boorloo/Perth tomorrow, head to Yagan Square Amphitheatre at 6pm for Karla Yaanginy (meaning ’sharing about the fire’), a free, family-friendly NAIDOC event featuring stories about what fire (karla) means to the local Noongar people and animals. This celebration of Noongar culture will include dance, music, pyrotechnics, visual art and shadow puppetry. Discover more events and activities here. 

Header image credit: 2024 National NAIDOC Week Poster - Urapun Muy by Deb Belyea 

Bonjour: Perth ready to welcome visitors direct from Paris 
Perfectly timed ahead of the Paris Olympics, the inaugural non-stop flight between Paris and Perth launches tomorrow. The near 17-hour flight will operate four days per week throughout the European summer and continue three times per week from mid-August 2024. It’s the second non-stop connection between Continental Europe and Perth, alongside Qantas’ existing service between Rome and Perth. The year-round link will add more than 37,500 additional inbound seats from Europe to Perth each year, cutting more than three hours off the current fastest travel time between Paris and Perth. Read more about the Europe market here. 

The Dream Collective applications close tomorrow 
Applications for Tourism WA and Tourism Council WA’s 's recognition program, The Dream Collective Western Australia, close tomorrow, 12 July. The program has been developed to promote and showcase the best of Western Australia’s tourism offerings, recognising the state's leading operators who consistently deliver high-quality visitor experiences. Tourism businesses must meet the eligibility criteria and participate in an annual evaluation process across a set of criteria, including customer reviews, online platforms, marketing activity, training, accreditation, and awards, to be considered for inclusion. Apply here.

WA recognised at The Travel Marketing Awards 
A TV series and surrounding campaign delivered by Tourism WA’s UK team, John & Lisa’s Food Trip Down Under, has been awarded a ‘Gold Standard’ in the UK Travel Marketing Awards. Recognised in the category for ‘most original use of tv or video’, over three million viewers tuned in to the 5-part series watching four hours of stunning WA content (over 742 million minutes). The show generated additional media coverage, a leap in traffic to UK partners, plus increased searches and enquiries for WA. The awards are one of the industry’s most sought-after accolades, celebrating brilliance in travel marketing. Read more about the UK market here.

Destination Perth launches Winter Wake Up Campaign 
Destination Perth has launched a new ‘Winter Wake Up’ campaign which features video content and a microsite with member experiences, attractions, tours, and offers. Content falls under six pillars: family, romantic, adventure, foodie, events and stays. The campaign encourages locals to break from winter routines and explore Perth, with media promotion through social media, YouTube, TikTok, catch-up TV, and paid search, making it one of Destination Perth's largest campaigns in 2024. View the campaign here.

Image credit: Destination Perth

Destination Perth website recognised in Hermes Creative Awards 
Destination Perth’s new website, launched in December 2023, has received an Honorable Mention in the 2024 Hermes Creative Awards, in the Website Design category. The Hermes Creative Awards is one of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world. Destination Perth’s website acts as a global ‘shopfront’ promoting Perth and surrounds as a desirable leisure destination to visitors and locals, while showcasing the wide range of leisure experiences in this diverse region. The new website’s consumer-focused design is already delivering benefits, including higher visitor numbers and longer retention. Read more here.

Image credit: Destination Perth

Leasing opportunity for Dwellingup Visitor Centre 
The Shire of Murray is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for a unique leasing opportunity in the Dwellingup Trails and Visitor Centre. The Shire is seeking submissions from a variety of sectors, with preference given to businesses that meet specific criteria including offering activities or services consistent with Dwellingup’s reputation as a trails town or providing a distinctive experience that complements the Trails and Visitor Centre precinct. Applications close 5pm (AWST) 2 September. Read more here. 

Regional Events Signature Program registrations now open
Australian Centre for Regional Events, formerly rEVENTS Academy, has opened registrations for its remodelled signature program. The 12-week program empowers event organisers with the knowledge, tools and inspiration to revitalise their event and includes access to refreshed and updated online modules and templates, plus six fortnightly live and interactive webinars to connect participants from across Australia and take a deep dive into key concepts and learnings. This program is suited for volunteer event organisers, local government staff involved in event delivery, new event organisers and students starting a career in events. The next course commences on Monday, 29 July. Places are limited, register here.  

New workshop for trail tourism operators 
Tourism businesses are invited to a free workshop on Tuesday, 13 August to learn how to develop new products and experiences that leverage Western Australia’s world-class trail infrastructure. The workshop will have a focus on Esperance and surrounds, ahead of Esperance’s inaugural GROUNDED – Hiking Festival launching on Friday, 20 September. The Tourism WA-hosted workshop will cover new products targeted at interstate and international destination trail users, and opportunities to deliver 'hero' experiences. Hosted at Esperance Chalet Village, it is designed for existing and aspiring tourism operators looking to leverage WA's exceptional national parks and trail networks. Register here.

Register to join Geraldton content and marketing workshops 
Tourism Council WA is delivering tourism marketing workshops in Geraldton from 27-28 August and a Tourism Connect for local tourism operators. Learn how to take better pictures of tourism products and experiences with the Photography for Tourism workshop and join the Your Tourism Business Online: Google, SEO & SEM workshop to understand and utilise search engine optimisation. Join the Intermediate Social Media for Tourism Businesses workshop to improve your content creation strategy. Attend the hands-on Optimise Instagram for Tourism Businesses workshop, to learn how to create a business Instagram strategy. Take part in the Sustainability Briefing to better understand sustainability principles. Register here.