The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCI) today welcomes the appointment of a dedicated Tourism WA Managing Director, Brodie Carr, to develop a long-term strategy to boost Western Australia’s tourism sector.

CCI has been calling on the State Government to recruit and appoint a full-time head of Tourism WA with the commercial and industry experience to ensure WA is a global tourism hotspot.

This announcement demonstrates the State Government has listened to industry concerns and taken action.

WA’s international and interstate tourism figures are in decline while every other state and territory has experienced growth. It is critical that industry and government, at all levels, work together to reverse the decline.

There is no single reason for the decline. Key steps that need to be taken include:

• Rebranding the State and its key tourism destinations;
• Attract more investment to improve our tourism product across the State;
• Improve campaign execution;
• Attract more direct international flights to WA;
• Deregulate retail trading hours;
• Remove restrictions on skilled migration.

The increased focus of Tourism Australia in addressing WA’s decline is also critical if the State is to drive growth in the industry.

CCI looks forward to continuing to work with the State Government to support a collaborative focus on economic diversity and jobs growth through tourism.