WA lifts its share of tourism market

Western Australia’s tourism industry celebrated a good year in 2004-05, a period during which ground was made in growing the state’s share of the market.

Changes to the frequency and price of some flights, as well as the recently-opened Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, have been responsible for an increase in WA’s share of the national tourism market, which rose marginally to 12.6 per cent, according to Tourism WA.

The State Government agency estimates that nearly 629,000 international visitors travelled to WA in the year to June, which is 7.4 per cent higher than the previous year. This growth in international visitors also beat the national growth figure of 6.6 per cent.

Tourism Council WA vice-president Ian Simmonds said the year had been one of consolidation and he was looking forward to continued sustained growth in the sector.

“The key goal is growing WA’s market share of the national market,” he said.

Discount wars between the major intern-ational airlines have also led to an increase in overseas passenger numbers through Perth Airport while the frequency of flights had also been stepped up, according to Tourism WA.

Cheaper flights to and from New Zealand were seen as the reason for an increase in passenger traffic in both directions across the Tasman, with the number of Kiwis coming to WA up by 50 per cent to 60,000.

A record 843,000 Australians travelled to NZ in 2004-05, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In October 2004, Qantas increased its services from Perth to London via Singapore to three flights a week, while Emirates is expected to introduce a second daily flight between Perth and London via Dubai this month.

The increased number of tourists coming to WA is estimated by Tourism WA to have added an extra $100 million to the state’s economy.

But despite the good growth in overseas travellers, the number  of interstate travellers coming to WA fell by 5.2 per cent.

With the official opening of the PCEC in August last year, Perth has been buzzing with so-called conference ‘super tourists’ who spend an average of $600 a day for the duration of their stay, according to State Government research.

Since it opened, the centre has hosted about 400 events. PCEC backers expect it to generate $2.2 billion for the state’s economy in the first 10 years of operation. The venue has already welcomed more than 600,000 visitors, while more than 20,000 conference delegates have attended 183 conferences and meetings.

 PCEC chief executive Paul D’Arcy said the venue’s first year of operation had generated solid bookings and attendances.

“The results achieved to date have been very pleasing and clearly demonstrate that the industry in Australia and around the world has shifted its focus to include Western Australia as a major player,” Mr D’Arcy said.

Over the medium term, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA expects international tourism to the state to increase as airlines further expand their capacity.

Discount airline Jetstar plans to commence operations in WA before the end of the year, while the merger of Jetstar Asia and Valuair is expected to result in increased traffic between Perth and Singapore over the medium term, CCIWA said in its September Economic Compass.