If you simply search for the #JustAnotherDayinWA hashtag, you will come across images which immediately inspire you to drop whatever you are doing and head towards Western Australia – that, along with increased events in the state could be the reasons why domestic tourism surged in the state last year.
According to the latest data by Tourism Research Australia ‘domestic travellers spent $7.8 billion in WA from April, 2018 to March, 2019’ – an AUD 1.5bn boost from the same period last year.
Tourism Council WA Chief Executive Evan Hall sees that the growth in interstate tourism is driven by ‘leisure visitors’ attracted to the state by the Western Australian Government’s investment in marketing and events as well as Perth’s new Optus Stadium. The $1.8 billion venue hosted two AFL finals, English Premier League club Chelsea’s friendly against Perth Glory, Test cricket and a Taylor Swift concert during the same period.
While domestic travellers surged, the amount of international visitors fell during the same period – prompting Western Australia to market itself internationally. According to the government, train carriages in Singapore will be plastered with images of WA and joint marketing campaigns will be run with Singapore Airlines and AirAsia X to boost Asian visitation. Air Asia X flights flying to Malaysia, China, India, Japan will be targeted.
