WA wins at national tourism awards 
Twelve outstanding Western Australian tourism businesses were recognised at the prestigious 2023 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards last week in Darwin. WA had two Gold medal recipients, five Silver medal recipients, and five Bronze medal recipients. Businesses which won Gold in their respective categories at the 2023 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards last November became finalists in these Australian Tourism Awards. To see the full list of award recipients, read more here. 

British & Irish Lions tickets on sale 
Tickets for the highly-anticipated 2025 British & Irish Lions Rugby Union Tour are now on sale. After 12 years, the British & Irish Lions Tour is returning to Australia, promising a rugby extravaganza spanning the nation, with nine matches across six cities. In their first match on Australian soil, the Lions will take on the Western Force at Optus Stadium, with the game expected to attract thousands of out-of-state visitors to WA, including British and Irish expats and Australian rugby fans from across the country. Read more here. 

International Festival of Hockey sets sights on Perth  
Hockey fans in Western Australia will be thrilled next month when the International Festival of Hockey takes over Perth Hockey Stadium. The event will welcome three of the world’s top-ranking hockey teams to the Perth Hockey Stadium, with the Kookaburras to take on India, while the Hockeyroos will take on China and Japan. It will also be the last chance to see the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras live on home soil ahead of their Olympic campaign in Paris later this year. Read more here.

‘Drive the Dream’ campaign zooms into Melbourne 
The second burst of 'Drive the Dream' campaign activity went live this week, just in time for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The 'Drive the Dream' campaign is led by WA-born Formula 1 Driver, Daniel Ricciardo, inviting interstate audiences to hit the open road in WA for their next adventure. High-impact billboards and print ads will run in Melbourne, along with TV, online video and paid social media across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Find out more here.

Dream Luxe Famil showcases WA highlights 
Thirty two travel agents and product managers from the east coast and New Zealand joined a Tourism WA hosted Dream Luxe Famil this week. The four groups enjoyed some of the best luxury accommodation and experiences across Perth, Rottnest Island and the Margaret River Region. All groups attended a welcome event at Cottesloe’s Indigo Oscar, and a dinner at Olio Bello, as well as a B2B session with a variety of tourism businesses at Mandoon Estate. Learn more about the New Zealand market here.

2024 Sand Talk event showcases Aboriginal tourism businesses
Five Aboriginal tourism businesses came together with six inbound tourism operators to discuss international market opportunities as part of Tourism WA’s 2024 Sand Talk event in Perth this week. To further support these Aboriginal businesses to build depth in tour guiding, booking, marketing and administration, as well as build a succession plan, they were also invited to bring along a student or staff member as part of the ‘Build the Dream’ program. Both programs are supported by the Jina: WA Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2021 – 2025 targeted at Aboriginal tourism businesses in WA. Read more about the Jina Plan, here. 

Truffle Kerfuffle 2024 dates confirmed 
Truffle Kerfuffle is set to return from 28 to 30 June, in the heart of Australian truffle country in Manjimup. The region is the most prolific truffle growing area in the Southern Hemisphere, producing about 85 per cent of all black truffles grown in Australia. A celebration of the prized 'black gold’, the event line-up includes long table feasts, fireside cooking, masterclasses with acclaimed chefs, truffle hunts, a marketplace brimming with locally grown produce, and cooking demonstrations. Learn more about the Tourism WA sponsored event here. 

WA artworks achieve national recognition
Thomas Dambo’s Giants of Mandurah have been awarded in the national 2023 Australian Street Art Awards. Supported by Tourism WA, the outdoor sculptures won Gold for Best Sculpture Park or Trail, announced at the Art of Attraction Tourism Summit earlier this month. Further south, the Collie Mural Trail experience also won Gold at the awards in the national Best Street Art Trail category, while the town’s iconic Wellington Dam Mural Reflections by Guido Van Helten was named Best Street Art Experience in Western Australia. Find out more here. 

Tourism WA industry events calendar 
Tourism WA has updated its Industry Events Calendar, which features upcoming events for the year held in Australia and internationally. The calendar includes trade events, roadshows and missions, workshops, networking opportunities and industry briefings. View the full events calendar here. 

Albany workshop registrations open
Registrations for Tourism Council WA’s Albany workshops on 30 April and 1 May are now open. Learn how to optimise Instagram for your tourism business, develop stronger social media skills with the Intermediate Social Media for Tourism Businesses workshop and better understand online marketing with Your Tourism Business Online: Google, SEO & SEM workshop. An Accessible Tourism workshop is also on offer to enhance your business’ accessibility in actionable ways, and the Sustainability Briefing provides stronger tools to manage carbon emissions, which will be followed by a Tourism Connect. To register, click here.