Today's announcement by the State Government of close to $5 million in additional tourism marketing funding has been welcomed by Tourism Council WA.
The additional funding will be used for a marketing boost to attract visitors and support businesses impacted by cancellations and reduced forward bookings stemming from perception of bushfire impact and the coronavirus outbreak.
The $8 million fund for regional aviation concurrently announced today was also welcomed by Tourism Council WA. The announcement is strongly aligned with Tourism Council WA's recommendations to the regional airfare inquiry.
Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall represented the tourism industry at the urgent roundtable meeting last week, called by the Premier, to provide feedback on how to support the tourism industry.
"I would like to thank the Premier and Tourism Minister for responding swiftly to our call for an immediate increase in marketing to attract visitors and support jobs at this crucial time," Mr Hall said.
"Western Australia has moved quicker than other States to respond to the coronavirus travel ban and secure new marketing deals to support the industry.
"The additional funding will assist to attract replacement visitors for those businesses facing cancellations, or lack of forward bookings, due to the impact of bushfire perception and coronavirus."
Tourism Council WA surveyed the industry to determine the true impact of the coronavirus travel restrictions.
"To date, 78 per cent of respondents have experienced some impact on their business from the coronavirus travel restrictions, with 43 per cent experiencing cancellations from Chinese visitors," Mr Hall said.
