‘Holiday at home’ part of $1.6m tourism campaign

A NEW campaign has been launched to encourage Western Australians to holiday at home.

It's one of three new marketing campaigns costing more than $1.6 million targeting travellers from WA, the east coast, and Singapore.

Launched last week by Tourism Minister Liz Constable, the campaign will promote local destinations and offer more than 200 holiday specials from WA tourism businesses.

The launch coincides with a new survey by Tourism WA indicating that more than three-quarters of Western Australians believe they should holiday within the state rather than overseas in times of economic uncertainty.

The survey also found that 70 per cent of respondents took a holiday or short break within WA in 2008, with 80 per cent planning a WA holiday this year and 45 per cent planning an overseas trip.

"With current global financial conditions, we expect to see a shift towards local holidays as Western Australians appreciate the convenience and value for money of holidaying at home," Ms Constable said.

In addition to the intrastate travel push, Tourism WA is also launching an interstate campaign targeting high-end travellers from Australia's east coast and Singapore, WA's second largest international market.

Domestic tourism has been declining in recent years as more WA residents favour overseas travel over holidaying in their own state.

Last financial year, WA recorded a 7.7 per cent drop in intrastate visitors, as well as an 8 per cent drop in interstate visitors.

By contrast, WA residents increased their international travel by more than 85 per cent in the past five years, according to Tourism WA.

The convention and conference market is also offering value-added offers and discounts to boost business event numbers during the traditionally soft months of June and July.

More than a dozen participants, predominantly major Perth hotels and event suppliers, have joined the Perth Convention Bureau's WAy Ahead initiative and are offering a range of incentives to entice exhibitions, conferences and meetings.