Tourism boss claims WA is FULL with no room for visitors from the eastern states even if the government did open the borders
- Western Australia’s borders remain closed to every Australian state and territory
- The state’s tourism minister said there would be no room for interstate tourists
- Industry report found in July 2020 WA tourist revenue was down $400million
Western Australia is full and could not accommodate tourists from the eastern states even if the border was opened, WA’s tourism minister Paul Papalia has claimed.
When asked whether WA borders would be open to interstate tourists by the end of the year at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Papalia said: ‘Right now in the regions there wouldn’t be any rooms for them’.
He said regional tourism providers in the state were experiencing their biggest months ever with bookings well over what they would see in their peak season.
His comments go against many business owners and tourism operators who say the industry has been crippled by closed borders.
Beach goers are seen walking past a sign reminding the public about the 2 meter Social Distancing rules at Cottesloe Beach in Perth
Perth hotels have reportedly been sitting at less than 20 per cent capacity on weekdays since WA borders were closed to other states.
Tourism and hospitality staff are also on JobKeeper in droves with many concerned about their employment when the subsidy scheme winds up in March, according to The West Australian.
According to Tourism Research Australia, the state had lost $286million in interstate tourist revenue in July 2020 compared to July last year, with international visitor dollars down $193million for the same month.
While there was an upswing in Western Australians spending their holiday budgets within their own state to the tune of $70million, the WA tourist industry was still down about $400million for the month of July alone.
The Western Australian government has also announced subsidised flights to Broome, Exmouth and Kununurra in the state’s north in 2021 to encourage local tourism.
Tourism Council of WA chief Evan Hall disagreed with Mr Papalia, saying the state’s tourism industry depends on visitors to metropolitan hotels.
‘There is no way that intrastate visitor spending can make up for the loss of interstate spending, let alone what was been lost through the lack of international visitors,’ Mr Hall said.
One new case of COVID-19 was recorded in WA on Wednesday and they were in hotel quarantine.
Despite low cases numbers an indicative date for opening the border has not been released.
According to Tourism Research Australia, the state had lost $286million in interstate tourist revenue in July 2020 compared to July last year (pictured is Perth)