WA Premier Mark McGowan and WA Tourism Minister Paul Papalia welcomed all Australian Tourism Exchange 2019 (ATE19) participants at the event’s official opening and announced a record funding boost for Rottnest Island – one of WA’s jewels in its tourism crown.
The WA Government is investing $16.2 million, as part of the 2019-20 State Budget, to completely redevelop the Fuel Jetty and construct a barge landing at the Army Jetty, to provide an alternative for logistics and freight traffic, helping to ease pressure on the Main Jetty at Thomson Bay.
This will enable Rottnest Island to continue to cater for the hundreds of thousands of visitors it attracts. This is the largest standalone State Government funding injection since 2008-09.
The announcement comes as the Rottnest Island Authority secured $17.2 million in Commonwealth funding for further infrastructure upgrades, including $5 million for the Rottnest Island Museum.
Following the WA Government’s support and promotion efforts since taking office in March 2017, Rottnest Island has received record-breaking visitor numbers, creating jobs and boosting the local economy. Nine new businesses have started on the island and 83 new eco tents have increased accommodation options, with a further 80 rooms expected as part of the Hotel Rottnest expansion.
Rottnest continues to be a popular tourism destination, experiencing a record 770,000 visitors in 2018.
This funding boost is in addition to the $12 million new tourism package, already announced as part of the upcoming State Budget, in a bid to attract more international visitors to WA.
The State Government, through Tourism Western Australia, is hosting the Tourism Australia owned event, which is the nation’s annual travel and tourism business-to-business event, at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The four-day event is expected to attract more than 2,000 of the world’s most influential people from the tourism industry for ATE 2019, including about 600 international and domestic buyers and 70 media from more than 30 countries, as well as 1,400 sellers from more than 550 companies.
ATE is considered as a major business opportunity for Australian tourism providers to showcase their products and negotiate deals with organisations who sell Australian tourism product internationally.
Some of the top buyers in Tourism WA’s key international markets will be represented at the ATE, including well-known international companies Helloworld, Thomas Cook and Flight Centre.
Western Australia’s tourism product will also be experienced firsthand by buyers and media through an extensive familiarisation program.
Source: WA Government