Western Australia on Drive to Attract Tourists Beyond Perth

Esplanade Hotel Fremantle Western Australia (WA) wants to push tourists out of Perth and into its other regions, leveraging a new promotions campaign to do just that. Launched yesterday, the 1001 Extraordinary Experiences campaign is the first initiative under the state government’s A$7.9 million (US$8.2 million) Regional Tourism Marketing Program. The money will also go towards producing two new major brand commercials and increasing cooperative marketing with the trade. Other initiatives include additional funding for the state’s Royalties for Regions Regional Events Program, nurturing cruise tourism through expanding regional ports and improving air access to regional WA. A Tourism Western Australia spokesperson said traffic into regional areas had already been rising in recent times. The Coral Coast saw a 1.7 per cent increase in arrivals for the year ending September 2012; Golden Outback, 36 per cent; North West, 40.2 per cent and South West, 6.2 per cent. Hotels outside Perth are also gearing up for better business. Rydges Hotels and Resorts has been appointed to manage the 300-room Esplanade Hotel Fremantle, while Accor has rebranded Quay West Resort Bunker Bay in the Margaret River wine region to Pullman Resort Bunker Bay. Pullman Resort Bunker Bay However, hotel occupancy in regional WA is still lagging behind. According to latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for 3Q2012, Perth hotels in the CBD recorded an occupancy rate of 86 per cent, while regional WA hotels achieved just 65 per cent.