International arrivals strengthen in WA

FIGURES released by Tourism Research Australia for the 2006-07 financial year show a 3.7 per cent growth in the number of international visitors to Western Australia. According to the figures, WA continues to outgrow the rest of the country in attracting international visitors. The figures showed that 623,000 international visitors came to WA in the past year – understood to be the highest number of international visitors to WA on record. International visitor spend increased 20.1 per cent to $1.47 billion, while visitor nights in WA grew 10.6 per cent to 17.2 million nights – both record levels, the government said. The report showed Perth ranked as Australia’s third city after Sydney and Melbourne in terms of total expenditure, and was second in terms of expenditure per visitor, with $2,068. Furthermore, WA continues to play to its strengths with numbers from its top international market, the UK, at an all-time high and growth in most of its high-end markets above the national average. Almost 170,000 visitors arrived from the UK last financial year, followed distantly by Singapore with 61,000. New Zealand and Japan share third spot with 43,000 each and American visitors came next with 38,000, just ahead of Indonesia with 37,000.