Western Australia enjoyed a record visitor spend of AU$14 billion in 2022, providing a massive boost to the state’s hotels and hospitality venues post-COVID recovery.
The Australian Hotels Association WA CEO Bradley Woods praised the result and pointed to significant opportunities for growth ahead with airline capacity improving and traditional destination markets recovering.
“Following last year’s border reopening, WA’s tourism sector has rebounded rapidly, which is outstanding news for WA’s hoteliers, publicans, restaurateurs, and the tens of thousands of staff they employ,” Woods said.
“In late 2019, WA was enjoying record levels of visitors from interstate and overseas, so it is reassuring to see that we are on a trajectory to return to these levels once airline capacity improves and airfare pricing stabilises.”
Woods said the data reflects the concerted efforts by State and Federal Governments, Tourism WA and Tourism Australia to support the tourism, accommodation and hospitality sector rebound.
“The focus on securing a series of successive major events has delivered a major boost for WA’s hotels, with Perth hotels regularly recording the highest occupancy levels in Australia in recent months,” he said.
“It is critical that we maintain the momentum that has been built. The ongoing recovery of WA’s tourism sector can play an important role in offsetting other economic challenges that could present in the year ahead.”