Tourism Council WA welcomes Liberal leader’s industry plans

Tourism Council WA has welcomed the commitment by Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett that he will remain the tourism portfolio if re-elected and will establish a tourism office in Sydney to promote Western Australia to interstate visitors.

Tourism Council WA Chief Executive Evan Hall said the commitment made by the Liberal Party of Western Australia leader and incumbent Premier to stay as tourism minister, made at a Tourism Council WA breakfast this morning, would keep the industry front and centre of the State’s economic development.

Hall explained “each year, tourism injects more than $9 billion into the State economy and creates more than 97,000 jobs, making it an incredibly valuable industry to WA’s future.

“Having the tourism portfolio in the hands of the Premier gives the industry a high priority across all Government portfolios, decisions and plans.”

Hall reckoned that establishing a marketing presence in Sydney to promote Western Australi was important to get the message out that Perth and Western Australia had evolved, adding “Perth is in the midst of a once in a generation upgrade in tourism assets which is transforming the city into a global destination and gateway to Western Australia. While the mining boom pushed up the price of everything in WA, the costs associated with tourism are now significantly decreasing.

“Now is the time to get the message out there that Perth and Western Australia has amazing, good value product and experiences on offer for visitors, and establishing a tourism office in Sydney will help to spread this message in the domestic market.”

As part of his re-election campaign, the Premier also announced plans to build the 850 kilometre Southern Ocean Drive, stretching from Balladonia on the Eyre Highway to Walpole, taking in Cape Le Grand National Park, Esperance, the Fitzgerald National Park, Albany and Denmark.

The Premier also discussed the importance of bike trails and reiterated their commitment to developing new cycle ways and mountain bike trails. 

Images: Fitzgerald National Park (top, courtesy of Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife) and Colin Barnett (below)

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