Bumper crop for tourism

WA enjoyed a bumper tourism year in 1998-99, hosting 578,000 international visitors.

According to the WA Tourism Commission’s annual report, visitors spent $856 million while in the State.

The WATC had earlier forecast WA would draw 543,000 visitors who would inject $843 million into the local economy.

WATC CEO Shane Crockett said a record 116,000 visitors came from the UK, WA’s biggest single market, adding $157 million to the State’s economy, up $24 million on the previous year.

Mr Crockett said that Singaporean visitor expenditure surged by 58 per cent to $177 million, although visitor numbers were down by 8,000.

Visitor numbers from Japan increased by 6 per cent and visitor expenditure rose 64 per cent to $108 million.

Mr Crockett said this was because visitors from these countries were staying longer and spending more.

“We expect visitor numbers from Japan will be even higher in 2000, following our strong marketing of WA in Tokyo and Osaka during 1999,” he said.