Tourism Council WA (TCWA) reported (10-May-2018) the 2018/19 Western Australia (WA) State Budget does not increase funding for tourism. According to TCWA, Tourism WA funding remains steady at AUD93 million (USD70 million) for 2018/19, which is forecast to decline to AUD90 million (USD67.7 million) in 2019/20. TCWA stated the budget "means there is no additional funding to secure new aviation routes or fill the growing number of hotel rooms", although the WA Government "delivered its election commitment of consistent funding for tourism marketing and events over five years". TCWA CEO Evan Hall noted:
- Overall funding declines for Tourism WA as belt tightening continues on salaries and regional programs such as Visitor Centres and Aboriginal tourism development;
- Future funding for the Aboriginal Tourism Development Program was not provided meaning funding will otherwise cease at the end of 2018/19;
- Additional aviation development funding is critical to secure new routes, such as Japan, Shanghai and India, and attract a LCC for regional routes to bring down costs;
- The WA Government "needs to invest in marketing, aviation development and Aboriginal tourism to attract tourism dollars and create jobs across WA". [more - original PR]