The end of Western Australia’s boom could prove the end of a “challenging couple of years” for the state’s tourism industry, suggested Stephanie Buckland, chief executive for Tourism Western Australia.
“We did gain a reputation for being full and expensive,” explained Buckland while talking to TTG at Australian Tourism Exchange 2016 (ATE) in the Gold Coast, Queensland, on Monday.
In the next 12-18 months 2,000 new hotel rooms are coming online, Buckland said, adding that the additional capacity was much needed.
Also on the horizon for the state is a glut of investment and redevelopment in urban areas, including a 60,000 seat sports stadium that will open at the end of 2017.
Buckland highlighted the state’s eagerness to work with the UK trade, noting its September road show, which will be 50% bigger – in terms of amount of product - than the one the tourism board held two years prior.
“It’s a big part of our trade push [to improve] awareness around pricing,” she said.
One of the biggest trends the Tourism Western Australia has seen is interest in cruising. “[That market] has increased quite substantially,” she said. “We see a lot of interest in that from both Aussies and international visitors and we’re welcoming new cruise ships into Fremantle on a regular basis.”