W.A. employs over 109,000 in Tourism Record
New research shows tourism in Western Australia provides 109,000 jobs.The 2015-16 State Tourism Satellite Account, prepared by Tourism Research Australia, has revealed 72,000 people are directly employed by the tourism industry in WA, with a further 37,000 employed indirectly.
The direct jobs are in businesses supplying goods and services straight to travellers, such as restaurants and tour companies, while the indirect jobs include areas such as caravan manufacturers and laundries that service hotels.
The State Government has pledged $425 million to destination marketing and events over the next five years in a commitment to tourism’s role in diversifying WA’s economy.
In 2016, 30.7 million visitors spent $10 billion in the State, including $4.7 billion in regional WA.
Every $225,000 in overnight visitor spend, or 179 overnight visitors to Western Australia, creates one job in the tourism industry.
Tourism generates more jobs than traditional industries such as agriculture, forestry and fishing, manufacturing and mining.
For more information and a breakdown of the types of jobs people are employed in, visit http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/research
“Tourism is a key economic driver for WA and plays a vital role in the State Government’s plan to diversify the State’s economy and create new jobs. It’s an area where the State Government can invest taxpayers’ dollars and get a positive economic return in business opportunities and jobs.The tourism sector already supports 109,000 jobs and we are committed to increasing that number.” said Tourism Minister Paul Papalia.