Margaret River Region first Australian host of the World’s 50 Best Vineyards awards
The World’s 50 Best Vineyards 2025 awards were hosted in Australia for the first time this week, after being secured by Tourism WA. The awards celebrate outstanding vineyards around the world that combine exceptional wine, food and visitor experiences. Hosted in the illustrious Margaret River Region on Wednesday, 19 November, the event presented a unique platform to promote WA’s remarkable culinary and wine experiences to the world while boosting the local economy by attracting wine lovers from around the globe. Find out more here. 

Pair’d Margaret River Region serves up unique experiences once again 
Returning for its second year, Pair’d Margaret River Region will showcase the South West’s world-class wine, music and food to visitors from 20–23 November. The homegrown wine event features exclusive experiences across iconic wineries and destinations, and collaborations with the region’s top winemakers, chefs and sommeliers. The 2024 event generated nearly $2.3 million in economic impact for the South West, and is this year expected to deliver even larger results as the festival draws thousands of visitors to the region once again. Find out more here. 

Perth on show during Ashes 
Tourism WA will partner with Flight Centre and Sky Sports, as part of the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast to promote the 2025 Perth Ashes Test Match. This collaboration marks the culmination of an 18-month campaign targeting high-yield UK travellers to maximise visitation around the event. With Perth in the spotlight as the first Test match approaches, the Flight Centre partnership will convert interest in WA into bookings. The activity includes promotion by the podcast hosts as well as a 30 second advert, video indents and distribution across both the audio podcast (hosted on Spotify, Amazon and Apple) and the video podcast (hosted on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram). Find more about the UK market here. 

Best of the west announced for AFL Origin's return 
The first players for the 2026 AAMI AFL Origin have been unveiled, with top-tier homegrown talent to represent their states in the ultimate battle between Western Australia and Victoria. Team WA consists of elite players including Patrick Cripps, Chad Warner, Shai Bolton, Aaron Naughton and Tom Barrass, with WA legend and current Sydney Swans coach, Dean Cox, leading the group. Supported by Tourism WA, the match next year will be the first AFL Origin game since May 1999 and will take place at Optus Stadium on Saturday, 14 February 2026, drawing thousands of out-of-state visitors to the state to celebrate the return of this iconic AFL event. Find out more here.

USA and Italy to hit the court in Perth for United Cup 2026
Some of the world's best tennis players will unite in WA this summer to compete at the United Cup, which returns to Perth/Boorloo in January 2026. Sponsored by Tourism WA, the United Cup returns for its fourth year in 2026, with the recent event draw yielding teams from the USA, Italy and Japan for the Perth leg of the tournament. Among the top players that will be taking to the court at RAC Arena from Friday, 2 January, are Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz and Naomi Osaka. Find out more here. 

New Qantas Auckland to Perth campaign live in New Zealand
Tourism WA has partnered with Qantas for a four-week cooperative marketing campaign to promote the new direct flights between Auckland and Perth. Launching on Sunday, 7 December 2025, the non-stop Qantas service is supported by a campaign inviting New Zealanders to discover WA with a special airfare offer. High-impact media placements are live across YouTube, outdoor, video-on-demand, radio, paid social, digital display and press, and the campaign is also amplified through Qantas’ owned channels in New Zealand. Find out more here. 

Save the date for the 2025 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards
Mark your calendars for the 2025 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards taking place on Friday, 6 March 2026 at Fremantle Prison. Hosting the national tourism awards in WA provides local operators with a fantastic opportunity as Fremantle/Walyalup will also host the 2026 Talking Tourism Business Forum ahead of the awards. The Forum provides small and medium-sized tourism businesses with the opportunity to learn from industry peers sharing their real-life experiences, practical examples, and actionable insights to help them grow and strengthen their own business. Save the date as tickets will go on sale in late November. Find out more here. 

2026 Trade Ready Introduction Program cohort announced
The 2026 cohort of the Trade Ready Introduction Program (TRIP) has been announced and includes 4xploring Rentals, Adventure West 4X4 Rentals, Albany’s Historic Whaling Station, Aravina Estate, D'Guy Journeys, Ocean Dream Charters, Rottnest Snorkel, The Aqua Resort, Sail Ningaloo and Dolphin Discovery Centre Bunbury. TRIP assists established tourism operators to expand their business into the interstate and international markets, providing financial and trade engagement support to boost WA tourism product diversity and strengthen its reputation as a world-class destination. Find out more here. 

WA represented at the Signature Travel Conference 
Tourism WA proudly showcased WA as the Dream State at Signature Travel network’s annual conference, co-hosting two exploration-themed workshops alongside Signature Travel, and completing 70 appointments over two days. Additionally, WA participated in an expedition-focused media roundtable with LATTE US, ensuring the destination remains top of mind for future storytelling and media coverage. The Signature Travel Conference took place from 10–14 November in Las Vegas, attracting more than 3,500 luxury travel professionals from across North America, including advisors, preferred partners, and influential media.  Find out more here. 

Step into a dream in Western Australia with KAYAK
In partnership with Tourism WA, KAYAK has launched a six-week campaign to drive interstate visitation to Western Australia. Live until 28 December, the campaign is inspiring travellers to book a WA holiday with regional trip guides, features on WA’s unmissable events in 2026, iconic road trips and stepping into Broome/Rubibi time. The campaign is being promoted through paid social media and KAYAK’s owned channels including digital display, website and email. The campaign also includes influencer content with Josiah Laloh,
showcasing Perth and the Margaret River Region. Find out more here.  

Nominations open for the Individual and Top Tourism Town Awards 
Nominations are now open for the 2026 7NEWS Top Tourism Town Awards and the 2026 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards for Individual Excellence. The 7NEWS Top Tourism Town Awards showcase WA’s towns and cities, recognise their commitment to encouraging tourism, and increase visitation to these destinations. There are three categories: Top Tourism Town; Small Tourism Town; and Tiny Tourism Town. Winners in these categories will be announced at the 2026 Perth Airport WA Tourism Conference in Carnarvon, from 25–27 May 2026. Tourism Council WA’s Awards programs provide destinations, individuals and businesses the opportunity to be rewarded for outstanding achievements.
Find out more here. 

Free resources to manage risks and maintain business continuity
To support tourism businesses to navigate risk, Tourism Council WA offers two resources through the Quality Tourism Framework: the Risk Assessment Tool, which helps tourism businesses to assess and manage these risks; and the Business Continuity Tool, to help businesses develop a clear plan to ensure operations continuity during any unforeseen disruptions. These tools are available to Tourism Council WA members via the Quality Tourism Framework. Find out more here.