The Coalition’s lack of leadership when it comes to tourism is letting down Western Australia, with Roy Morgan research out this week showing that Perth is the only capital city to go backwards as a preferred destination.
When research was first conducted in 2006, more than 1.7 million potential tourists nominated Perth as their preferred destination.
Today this figure has fallen to 1.5 million.
Both the Coalition WA State Government and the Federal Government have left the Western Australian tourism sector behind.
Tourism has been identified as a super growth sector by Deloitte and employs more than one million Australians.
The potential of tourism in Western Australia to the local economy is particularly important given the impact of declining revenue from mining over the last few years.
Despite these facts the Coalition Government has refused to release a tourism policy, leaving small business operators and the wider industry in the dark.
It should work with communities across Western Australia to promote the state’s natural beauty and renowned tourist destinations.
The people of Western Australia deserve a government that understands the important role tourism plays in providing jobs and growing the economy.