WA’s tourism brand goes live in China
Western Australia’s destination brand has gone live in China with striking billboards lighting up the bustling streets of Shanghai and Guangzhou. Walking On A Dream imagery is also being featured across four key cities and on the Chinese social media platform, Douyin. In addition to the media blitz, Tourism WA will leverage the brand launch by running conversion campaigns with key distribution partners Ctrip, Tongchen travel and Mafengwo, which link consumers to WA products and experiences. Find out more here.

Giants of Mandurah's Great Impact
Tourism WA figures reveal the giant economic impact of Thomas Dambo’s Giants of Mandurah exhibition on the Peel region’s tourism sector. Dambo’s larger-than-life outdoor wooden sculptures, built in various locations throughout Mandurah, have drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region, captivating audiences from near and far, and enriching the local community. In its first year open to the public, the free Giants of Mandurah exhibition generated a towering $64 million in visitor spend, as people of all ages flocked to the region to discover the hidden sculptures. Find out more here.

Jyttes Hytte by Thomas Dambo, Giants of Mandurah, 2022. Photo by Duncan Wright, image courtesy of FORM Building a State of Creativity

Tourism WA partners with TRIP.com Group
In alignment with the Walking On A Dream brand launch in China, Tourism WA has launched a strategic partnership with leading travel service provider, Trip.com Group, to promote WA's unique and captivating tourism experiences across key Asian markets. The multi-million-dollar initiative will be rolled out over two years and focus on travel markets in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore and include special deals on air tickets, hotel accommodations, car rentals, and paid tourism experiences in WA.

Socceroos match draws crowds to Perth
Perth hosted another blockbuster football event, when the Socceroos took on Palestine in front of a packed HBF Park on Tuesday. Supported by Tourism WA, the match was the final Round Two fixture for the Socceroos in their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification journey with more than 18,000 fans watching the national team take the 5 – nil win. The match was the latest in a long line of blockbuster events secured by Tourism WA as Western Australia continues to forge its reputation as the fastest growing events destination in the South East Asia region. Read more here.

Tourism WA seeks industry ambassadors
Tourism WA’s Workforce Development Team is seeking industry ambassadors to help raise the profile of the tourism and hospitality industry at the upcoming Perth SkillsWest Careers & Employment Expo. Taking place from 25 - 27 July at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre, the Expo attracts prospective students, career seekers, mature age career changers and graduates seeking information on study, training, career development, and employment opportunities. Operators who wish to join Tourism WA in hosting the Tourism & Hospitality stand can become involved by contacting Tessa.Marshall@westernaustralia.com by 21 June. 

ATEC launches National ‘China Host’ workshops
The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has launched a federally-funded program to build Australian tourism businesses’ confidence and knowledge of the Chinese visitor market. In partnership with the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, ATEC’s ‘China Host’ will be delivered through a series of face-to-face workshops unpacking culture, service, product and trade engagement. ATEC's 'China Host' workshop provides an invaluable opportunity to better engage with the Chinese visitor market and take advantage of the upcoming direct flight launch. The first workshop will be held in Perth on 19 June, and operators can register here.

Dreamy WA packages on sale
In partnership with Tourism WA, Journey Beyond has launched Outback Spirit and Indian Pacific campaigns to drive interstate visitors and extended stays in Western Australia. The ‘Find your Outback Spirit’ campaign is now live and will run until mid-June, promoting extended touring in the Kimberley and South West while ‘The Dreamy West by Train’ campaign will run until 30 June, highlighting extended packages available in Perth, the Margaret River Region, Ningaloo and Broome. Both campaigns are live across media, SEO, paid social, travel agent trade media ads, and owned channels.

Busselton named Top Tourism Town Award winner
Busselton has been named the winner of the 2024 7NEWS Top Tourism Town Award at the 2024 Perth Airport WA Tourism Conference Dinner. The Top Tourism Town took home a $20,000 airtime package to promote the town on television network 7 Regional WA and statewide recognition for their achievement. Geraldton won Silver and Collie claimed Bronze in the Top Tourism Town Awards, which are run by Tourism Council WA and Visitor Centres WA, with support from 7NEWS, Vanguard Media Group, Tourism WA and RAC Parks & Resorts. See the full list of winners here. 

Individuals recognised for excellence in tourism
Winners for the Individual Categories in the Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards were announced earlier this week. The FACET Golden Guide Award winner was Graeme Dearle from Pemberton Discovery Tours, the Individual Excellence in Aboriginal Tourism Award was taken out by Joshua Whiteland from Koomal Dreaming, while Ebony Muirson from Freshwater East Kimberley Apartments won the Individual Excellence in Customer Service Award. The Sir David Brand Young Achiever Medal was awarded to Tess Crake from Sin Gin Distillery. Read more about the winners and the awards here.

Concierge Connect event announced for Winter
Concierge, front of house staff and management are invited to an exclusive Concierge Connect event, hosted by the Australian Hotels Association WA and supported by Tourism WA. Designed for hotel staff who directly interact with guests, this season’s event will take place on Monday 17 June and will feature guests from the City of Perth’s Plateful Perth campaign, Kings Park and Botanical Garden’s Lightscape event and from Tourism WA – with all discussing their latest respective major events. Tickets are free however; RSVP is essential and available here.