WA’s visitor economy grows to almost $18 billion
WA’s visitor economy has reached new heights, with figures released by TRA this week showing WA's tourism recovery has surged to $17.9 billion. The latest results are $4.4 billion or 32 per cent ahead of the 2019 pre-pandemic figure, which was $13.5 billion. For the first time, international visitor levels have surpassed the 2019 value, reaching $2.5 billion or three per cent greater than the pre-pandemic value. WA was also the top performing state by overnight visitors compared to 2019. Read more here.

Broome welcomes inaugural non-stop Singapore flight
The inaugural non-stop flight between Singapore and Broome landed earlier this week, marking the first international route to fly directly into regional WA since the state’s borders reopened. Operating twice weekly until Saturday, 26 October, the seasonal Jetstar Asia service will bring almost 6,500 inbound seats to Broome in its first year and reduce travel time by over five hours. It also connects Australia’s North West with existing aviation networks via Singapore’s Changi Airport. The new service is supported by the $75 million Aviation Recovery Fund, in collaboration with Broome International Airport. Read more here. 

Header mage credit: Lauren Bath

WA cultural festival EverNow set to return
Western Australia’s homegrown event EverNow will return from 3-7 October, during the Noongar season of Kambarang, to locations around Perth. The multi-sensory festival draws inspiration from WA's rich biodiversity and Aboriginal culture and includes elements Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak, which attracted over 87,000 people in 2023, and Song Circle, a live celebration of Noongar performance. New Australian-exclusive content will be announced soon. Developed by Perth Festival, EverNow is poised to become a highlight of WA’s events calendar.
Read more here.

Image credit: Jarrad Seng Photography

Seabourn Pursuit makes its maiden voyage to the Kimberley
Luxury cruise and expedition travel line, Seabourn Pursuit, has set sail on its maiden voyage in Australia’s North West. A plaque exchange was held on board last week to mark the occasion and in a maritime history first, the Traditional Owners have been named as the godparents of the ship. The Wunambal Gaambera People, custodial owners of Ngula Jar Island, will formally be recognised as the vessel’s godparents at an official naming ceremony this weekend. Tourism WA is supporting the Wunambal Gaambera People to realise their aspirations of delivering cultural immersion to cruise passengers, by investing in new performance infrastructure at the island. Read more about WA's cruise industry here.

The Dream Collective applications closing soon
Applications for Tourism WA and Tourism Council WA’s 's recognition program, The Dream Collective Western Australia, are closing soon. The program has been developed to promote and showcase the best of Western Australia’s tourism offerings, recognising the state's leading tourism operators who consistently deliver high-quality visitor experiences. Tourism operators 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. Applications close on 12 July. Apply here.

Kimberley famil trip hosted ahead of Paris to Perth flight
Ahead of the soon-to-launch Paris direct flight, Tourism WA hosted eight Aussie Specialists from France on a famil trip in partnership with Tourism Australia. It showcased Perth and the Kimberley, with experiences centered around nature, soft adventure and Aboriginal tourism; all destination drivers of French High Yield Travellers. Attendees came from some of France’s biggest distribution partners; ASIA Voyages, Voyageurs du Monde, Terre d’Aventure, Australie à la Carte, as well as French based Tourism WA and Tourism Australia representatives. In the Year Ending March 2024, 22,000 French travellers visited WA, surpassing the same period in 2019 (+2 per cent). Read more about the French market here. 

Tourism Australia Marketplace applications close tomorrow
Seller applications for Tourism Australia’s bi-annual Australia Marketplace UK & Europe 2024 close tomorrow, Friday, 28 June. Taking place from 18-20 November in London, the event provides an opportunity for Australian tourism industry representatives to connect with key qualified travel agencies, wholesalers and tour operators in the UK and Europe. The event will include two days of pre-scheduled appointments between buyers and sellers plus valuable networking opportunities. In addition, Tourism WA will run an Agent Showcase pre and post marketplace in both the UK and Europe. Read more here.

Great Southern trail development workshop
Tourism businesses are invited to discover more about trail tourism and gain valuable insights at a free workshop being held by Tourism WA and Concept 2 Strategy in Albany. The workshop will be delivered at The Old Dairy Torbay on Wednesday, 31 July and is tailored to Great Southern tourism businesses. The workshops are designed to address the needs of both existing and aspiring tourism operators looking to leverage Western Australia's exceptional National Parks and trail networks and provide an analysis of product and experience gaps. Register to attend the workshop here.

Join Tourism WA’s cruise ready workshop
Tourism WA is hosting a ‘Cruise Ready Workshop’ on Wednesday, 17 July in Perth as part of the WA Cruise Exchange. The workshop will provide insights into how your business can benefit from successfully servicing the cruise market and aims to share valuable information on the state of the industry during the return of cruise, discuss protocols and logistics, identify the future opportunities in a growing sector and work with destinations to deliver world class experiences. Guest speakers include Jill Abel, CEO of Australian Cruise Association, and specialist ground handlers. In person attendance is encouraged or online streaming is available for regional WA attendees. Join here by Friday, 5 July.  

Economic Impact Assessments Webinar next week
Learn how to use Economic Impact Assessments (EIA) in an upcoming Tourism Council WA webinar on Wednesday, 3 July. The complimentary assessments help to estimate the spending and jobs that visitors to your business generate in your local destination and across WA. EIAs are useful for grant applications, award submissions, development approvals and demonstrating the economic value of your tourism business or destination to key stakeholders. Register here.