The Great Outdoors returns – with WA to shine 
After a more than 10-year hiatus, iconic Australian travel show The Great Outdoors is returning to Channel 7 next week with WA featured throughout. Supported by Tourism WA, the six-part series will include a feature on WA in each episode, starting with Perth on Saturday, 5 October at 7pm. Experiences, accommodation, and dining options in Busselton, Esperance, Jurien Bay, Mandurah and Pemberton will also be highlighted over the course of the series. After airing, the episodes will be available on 7plus on demand. Read more here.

Image credit: Tourism Australia

Deadline extended for Trade Ready Introduction Program
Expressions of interest applications for Tourism WA’s 2025 Trade Ready Introduction Program (TRIP) have been extended to 5pm AWST on Friday, 18 October. The program supports trade-ready tourism operators to expand into interstate and international markets, with participants receiving stepped financial assistance, including up to $6,700 to cover 100 per cent of trade event registration costs in the first year. The inaugural TRIP cohort comprised 10 experienced WA operators who participated in networking and industry events, received hands-on support in preparing for and attending trade events and built valuable B2B connections. These operators had an overall satisfaction rate of 95 per cent after attending ATE24. Read more here. 

Western Australia sale with Flight Centre NZ
Tourism WA is partnering with Flight Centre New Zealand on a cooperative marketing campaign running until Sunday, 13 October. The campaign includes a range of WA holiday offers including couple and family packages in Perth and Rottnest Island, Kimberley cruises, guided tours and road trips throughout WA. The WA packages are accompanied by Qantas sale airfares from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to Perth and Broome. The packages are being promoted across high-visibility outdoor placements, TV on demand and YouTube, paid social and digital media and featured across Flight Centre’s owned channels. Read more here.

Jetstar Sydney-Busselton partner campaign launches
Tourism WA has partnered with Jetstar on an awareness and tactical campaign to drive east coast visitors to the Margaret River Region. The five-day sale is live until Saturday, 28 September, encouraging Sydneysiders to be where ‘wine meets waves’ and promoting lead-in fares from Sydney to Busselton-Margaret River, starting from $179. The campaign is being promoted across outdoor advertising, YouTube, high impact digital display, paid social and paid search, as well as Jetstar’s owned channels including website and organic social. Read more here. 

WA Outdoor Industry Awards nominations open
Nominations are now open for the 2024 WA Outdoor Industry Awards which celebrate excellence in outdoor adventure tourism, recreation and education across six award categories. Presented by Outdoors WA, the peak body for the outdoor industry, the awards celebrate innovation and participation across the sector. For the first time, this year the awards will include the Adventure Tourism Award which is being sponsored by Tourism WA. Nominations are now open and close on Friday, 25 October, with a presentation night on Friday, 15 November. Read more and nominate here. 

Image credit: Outdoors WA

Swiss famil trip showcases Karijini and Australia’s Coral Coast  
Eight key sales staff and the Product Manager from Knecht Reisen — WA’s largest Key Distribution Partner in Switzerland — recently embarked on a famil trip through Karijini and Australia’s Coral Coast. Exploring the gorges and natural pools of Karijini and Kalbarri National Park, as well as experiencing the Whale Sharks in Exmouth, and tours in Francois Peron National Park, will enable these agents from the valuable Swiss market to better sell Western Australia. Market research from 2023 indicates that visitors from Switzerland stay for an average of 24 nights in WA and disperse widely across the state, with 57 per cent of visitors exploring Australia’s Coral Coast. Read more about WA’s Switzerland markets here.

WA features internationally at trade and consumer events
This month, Tourism WA’s Germany market team attended key trade and consumer training events: Knecht VIP Night, Get Koalafied event by Australia Tours, and Dreamtime Reisetag. The team hosted the prestigious Knecht VIP Night near Zurich, Switzerland, with 140 VIP clients in attendance. The team also participated in Australia Tours’ Get Koalafied event in Southern Germany, where 30 travel agents were educated about our beautiful state, and in the Dreamtime Reisetag (Travel Day) in Switzerland, attracting 500 high-end Swiss consumers. Additionally, the Aussie Specialist spotlight webinar on the Kimberley Region attracted over 80 Aussie Specialist agents. Read more about WA’s Germany and Switzerland markets here.

Finalists revealed for the 2024 Hospitality Awards for Excellence
The Australian Hotels Association (WA) recently announced the finalists for the 2024 AHA & Coca-Cola Hospitality Awards for Excellence. This year, a remarkable 530 nominations across over 40 award categories were submitted, showcasing the outstanding calibre of WA’s hospitality industry. The exclusive list of finalists represents WA’s leading hotels, bars, pubs, taverns, and restaurants, and the dedicated staff integral to their success. The prestigious Awards will be celebrated at the Lion Gala Ball on Monday, 11 November at Crown Perth, with over 1,000 attendees expected to honour the very best in the industry. See the full list of finalists here. 

Singapore Market Spotlight Event
Join Tourism WA, Australia’s North West, and Singapore agents for a comprehensive presentation and discussion about the Singapore market including the direct flights to Broome. Taking place on Monday, 30 September, the event will kick off at 5pm at Cable Beach Resort & Spa in Broome. Registration is necessary — sign up using the link provided here.  

Upcoming TCWA workshops and events
Learn about the latest information, research, and trends relevant to your tourism business by attending Tourism Council WA’s upcoming workshops in Denham, Exmouth, and Coral Bay in October and November. There is also an opportunity to join Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall on Thursday, 10 October to hear the latest trends from the September quarter tourism business activity survey. This webinar will cover key topics for tourism businesses to plan their operations. Read more about Tourism Council WA’s events and workshops here.