The Government of Western Australia has allocated $30 million in funding in the 2016-17 State Budget to help bring in more tourism to WA. The funding will go to businesses, sporting and entertainment events, while an extra $1 million will be given to promote and expand Chinese New Year in the state, in the hope of building further links with China as well as attracting additional visitors.

"An extra $19 million will help attract big events to activate the new Perth stadium; $3.15 million will be reinstated to the Perth Convention Bureau events budget, and the PCB will also receive an extra $7.55 million on top of that," Premier and Tourism Minister Colin Barnett said.

"Unprecedented levels of public and private investment have resulted in some huge changes, which are making Perth and WA a great place to visit.

"More than 2,000 new hotel rooms will be built by 2018, as will the 60,000-seat Perth Stadium, therefore we need to work hard to maximise these investments."

The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) in WA welcomed the funding, saying it has come at a perfect time for the state's economy as it transitions from a mining to service sector.

“This new funding will help rebuild the WA Tourism economy through leisure, events and the conference and exhibition market. The $19M for Perth Stadium Events marketing will see many 10’s of thousands of visitors travelling to Perth to experience Australia’s newest and best sports stadium," AHA (WA) CEO Bradley Woods said.

“The $10 Million extra funding for the Perth Convention Bureau to sell major conferences will deliver over $100 million in economic benefit to Perth and WA.

“The WA Governments innovative approach in working with the Chinese community to encourage Chinese nationals to celebrate New Year’s in Perth is an exciting concept that will see tens of millions of dollars spent in WA."

 

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