Record medal haul for WA tourism

Western Australian tourism businesses have won 16 medals at the 2018 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, the largest medal haul for the state since the awards' inception in 1985.

WA entrants won eight gold medals, which equalled last year's gold medal tally, as well as two silver medals and six bronze at the awards ceremony in Launceston, Tasmania.

Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, which is a tourism venture set in WA’s north-west, won three gold medals, securing the top honours in the Tourist Attractions, Adventure Tourism and Unique Accommodation categories.

Other tourism operators to win gold medals included Swan Valley Visitor Centre, Two Feet & a Hearbeat, The Beach House at Bayside, Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours & Experiences and Kimberley Quest.

The award winners were selected from a field of more than 200 national finalists.

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said the high standards of WA’s tourism industry had been rightly acknowledged.

"Tourism is vital to our state's economy; it creates jobs and develops business opportunities,” he said.

“The awards received by WA businesses are recognition that WA has real quality and diversity in its tourism offerings and operators who are committed to showing tourists the very best WA has to offer."

In November, it was revealed that international tourists spent nearly $250 million less in WA during the 2018 financial year than during the previous 12 months, which equated to a 9.9 per cent fall.

This made WA the only state to record a decline in overseas expenditure.