Boost to leisure, business travel campaigns

TOURISM Minister Liz Constable has announced the state government's plans to ensure Western Australia's tourism industry rides out the economic downturn.

Dr Constable told parliament last week the state government would spend an extra $700,000 to ensure Western Australians spent their vacation time in WA.

She said the 'Holiday at Home' campaign would receive $310,000 and be extended through June as part of the initiative.

A further $385,000 will be spent as part of Tourism Australia's 'No Leave No Life' campaign, which will encourage Australians to reduce accumulated annual leave by taking a local holiday.

"These campaigns will assist in keeping tourism dollars in our state," Dr Constable told the legislative assembly.

"Our campaign to encourage Western Australians to holiday at home has been a key plank of our strategy to help the industry."

Also last week, Dr Constable launched the rebranding of the Perth Convention Bureau to secure more convention, exhibition and incentive travel group business for WA.

The Perth Convention Bureau developed its new brand with local advertising agency Marketforce to establish Perth and regional Western Australian destinations as premier corporate event centres.

PCB managing director Christine McLean said the development of a specific business events brand was necessary because in the past WA has been primarily marketed as a tourist and leisure destination.

"All the images of the leisure brand are promoting those lovely open spaces and beaches, but if you're looking at a destination for a business meeting that's not necessarily what you want to see," Ms McLean said.

"You want to see infrastructure, and you want to see people and you want to see activity.

"Everything that we do, and everything we offer as a destination is to provide delegates with a fresh perspective on how they can conduct business meetings, corporate meetings and conventions, and incentive travel."

Part of the new strategy is to address Western Australia's lack of presence in the international business events industry through regular attendance at international trade shows, coupled with an industry specific media campaign.

Ms Mclean said the PCB was focusing on providing a fresh perspective, and hoped the campaign would promote WA as a world-class business destination.

"One of the things we're promoting is that when people come here for a business reason, rather than a leisure reason, it gives them fresh, open space to think more clearly and to connect with their colleagues," she said.

"An international delegate spends six times more than an international leisure tourist, which is why the state government has provided significantly more funding to fund the business events brand."

The bureau aims to obtain $64 million in direct delegate expenditure over the next year, with goals of up to $100 million in 2011.