TDMP | Australia's South West

AUSTRALIA’S SOUTH WEST

TOURISM DESTINATION

MANAGEMENT PLAN

BUSSELTON JETTY | UNDALUP

YALLINGUP, MARGARET RIVER REGION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of Western Australia and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal West Australians and honour their continuing connection to Country, culture and community. We recognise and appreciate the invaluable contributions made by First Nations peoples across many generations in shaping Western Australia as a premier destination.

LIST OF ACRONYMS

ACRONYM DESCRIPTION

ASW Australia’s South West Regional Tourism Organisation

Austrade Australian Trade and Investment Commission

BEP Business Events Perth

BGTP Bunbury Geographe Tourism Partnership

DBCA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

DLGSC Department of Local Government, Sport, Cultural Industries

DoT Department of Transport

DPLH Department of Planning, Land and Heritage

DTWD Department of Training and Workforce Development

GSDC Great Southern Development Commission

Industry Tourism Industry

JTSI Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation

LGA Local Government Authority

LTO Local Tourism Organisation

MRBTA Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association

MRWA Main Roads Western Australia

NTWA National Trust Western Australia

RCO Regional Collecting Organisations

SPA Southern Ports Authority

SWDC South West Development Commission

SWALSC South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council

TOs Traditional Owners

Trails WA Trails Western Australia

TWA Tourism Western Australia

WAITOC Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council

YEAGARUP BEACH,

KEY AGENCIES & THEIR ROLES

AGENCY ROLES

Tourism WA Tourism Western Australia (Tourism WA) is the State Tourism Organisation (STO) with a goal to grow tourism by marketing Western Australia as an incredible holiday and business events destination; attracting and promoting world-class sporting, cultural and arts events; and improving access, accommodation and tourism experiences.

RTO Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) build strong relationships with Local Tourism Organisations (LTOs) and local governments to achieve better tourism outcomes and make the most of marketing activities. RTOs provide marketing opportunities to tourism businesses to encourage direct bookings, keep the industry informed, provide trade coaching and representation and facilitate industry development opportunities.

LGA Local Government Authorities (LGAs) have an economic development function and often work closely with RTOs and LTOs to develop regional tourism. LGAs also directly manage or are closely involved with key tourism assets, such as visitor centres, caravan parks and reserves.

RDC Western Australia has nine Regional Development Commissions (RDCs) that encourage, promote, facilitate and monitor development in their respective regions. RDCs also work collaboratively across all levels of government, multiple industries and with not-for-profit agencies to develop and deliver regional programs, policies and services.

TCWA Tourism Council Western Australia (TCWA) is the peak body representing Western Australia’s tourism businesses, industries and regions. The council promotes the value of tourism, facilitates sustainable tourism development and advocates industry policy on behalf of members.

DBCA The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) manage Western Australia’s parks, forests and reserves to: conserve wildlife; provide sustainable recreation and tourism opportunities; protect communities and assets from bushfire; and achieve other land, forest and wildlife management objectives. DBCA conserves Western Australia’s biodiversity, cultural and natural values in partnership with Traditional Owners (TOs).

MRWA Main Roads WA (MRWA) is responsible for the state’s road network. They work to ensure the roads meet the needs of the community, industry and stakeholders. They provide safe and reliable roads, bridges and paths throughout the state to improve accessibility.

DoT The Department of Transport (DoT) provides and enables safe, accessible and efficient movement for Western Australia’s economic and social prosperity.

WAITOC Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC) is the peak representative for Aboriginal tours and experiences in Western Australia, promoting and supporting authentic cultural experiences at a state, national and international level.

WA Ports Authorities Western Australia has five port authorities which facilitate trade within and through the port, are responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the port and for planning for future growth and development of port activities.

LTO Local Tourism Organisations (LTOs) are responsible for promoting their local area and its members, and driving or participating in local tourism development initiatives.

Visitor Centre Visitor Centres (VCs) provide destinations with an opportunity, once visitors are at the destination, to provide information, recommendations and trip planning functions.

INTRODUCTION

The Australia’s South West (ASW) Tourism Destination Management Plan (TDMP) establishes a vision for the region, supported by goals and priorities designed to drive tourism at all levels. The key priorities reflect product development trends and stakeholder insights, and are supported by abridged Regional Tourism Development Strategies (RTDS) to address supply, demand and capability gaps, ensuring a holistic approach to tourism across the region for the next 10 years.

The document has been informed by an analysis of the region’s visitor economy, attractions and experiences, brands and destination marketing. Comprehensive stakeholder engagement was conducted to understand the opportunities and priority projects for tourism expansion. The projects are assessed at a regional and subregional level to ensure initiatives will have the most impact on sustainably growing the region’s visitor economy.

Both the TDMP and RTDS documents address gaps in the following areas:

Supply including attractions, events, access and connectivity and infrastructure.

Demand including the region’s positioning, markets and destination marketing.

Capability including workforce and skills development, funding and partnerships.

The ASW TDMP outputs are:

• The TDMP, an overarching 10-year plan for the ASW tourism region (this document).

• Abridged RTDS establishing tourism projects and actions within the Great Southern and South West Development Commission regions.

It is important to note that many of the priorities identified in the documents are aspirational and unfunded. Their inclusion will provide industry and government with the strategic direction to seek resourcing, if required, to deliver initiatives within their areas of responsibility.

PLAN ON A PAGE

VISION

The ASW region is globally renowned for ancient culture, natural beauty, exceptional produce, creative communities and iconic adventures.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

SUSTAINABLE ACCESSIBLE EXCEPTIONAL CONNECTED

10-YEAR GOALS

Rejuvenate existing, and develop new, products and attractions. Develop and showcase Aboriginal tourism.

• Activation of trails infrastructure.

• Deliver the Conserving the Capes initiatives.

• Create authentic wine and produce experiences in the Great Southern.

• Integrate Aboriginal culture throughout the visitor experience.

• Support development of new Aboriginal tourism products.

• Implementation of the Jina Plan.

Strengthen access to, and within, the region. Grow and diversify accommodation by addressing specific subregional gaps and priorities.

INITIATIVES

• Develop aviation and cruise infrastructure to facilitate increased networks and services.

• Advocate for construction of a pedestrian/cycle bridge to connect Valley of the Giants trails.

• Improve wayfinding and signage to support navigation and dispersal.

• Grow the inventory of accommodation including experiential, luxury, self-contained and self-drive.

• Deliver accommodation to support activation of national parks, reserves and trails.

• Facilitate the development of tourism worker accommodation.

Strengthen the ASW regional brand and assets.

Build and leverage events to promote visitation.

Strengthen capacity and capability to support sustainability.

• Develop an ASW Brand and Style Guide aligned with Tourism WA.

• Develop a regionwide niche marketing strategy.

• Position the South West Edge as an iconic drive for the state.

• Leverage visitor dispersal opportunities of major sporting and cultural events.

• Establish signature events in the Margaret River Region and Great Southern.

• Develop a calendar of events that addresses product gaps and promotes dispersal.

• Increase the pool of tourism workers through training and development.

• Improve industry capacity and grow the sustainability (environmental, social and economic) and accessibility credentials of the region.

(including food, beverage, produce)

PART 1: TDMP VISION, GOALS & PRIORITIES

BLACK DIAMOND LAKE, COLLIE

10-YEAR VISION

The ASW region is a globally renowned tourism destination of ancient Aboriginal culture, natural beauty, exceptional produce, creative communities and iconic adventures, where:

Visitors Visitors can easily access and navigate the region and customise their stay with high quality, cohesive information. Immersed in unrivalled experiences, they understand the region’s diversity, beauty and fragility, have vested interest in its ongoing care, choosing to respect and tread lightly on Noongar country. They stay longer, experience more and leave with a plan to return.

Industry Tourism is highly valued, capable and enabled for sustainable growth and management practices. Product development, partnerships, education and workforce development are supported and sustainably resourced. The industry is valued by community and government for its contribution to the economic, social, environmental and cultural fabric of the region. Respect for place is embedded throughout the tourism offering.

Government Government is enabling industry, and investing sustainably in tourism infrastructure, product development, management and marketing. Coordinated decision making and investment frameworks are well established and responsive to economic conditions and deliver market certainty.

Communities Local communities are engaged in and understand the value of local visitor economies. They have opportunities to provide input and see their values for sustainable practice reflected in the tourism industry. Communities work together with government and industry to support caring for Country and transitioning industries, sharing the tangible benefits that tourism brings.

10-YEAR TOURISM GOALS & PRIORITIES

1. Rejuvenate existing, and develop new, tourism products and attractions.

• Activate trails infrastructure throughout the region through the development of visitor facilities and services — with a focus on Collie, Wellington National Park, Pemberton, Manjimup, Nannup, Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Porongurup and Margaret River (including hire facilities, bookable commercial tour product, accommodation).

• Deliver the Conserving the Capes initiative and upgrades/ improvements to the Leeuwin — Naturaliste National Park, including the Cape to Cape Track.

• Support the Great Southern to deliver cohesive, mature and authentic wine and produce experiences throughout the region (considering bookable product that enhances the visitor experience and product packaging).

• Rejuvenate demand driving visitor attractions within the region by supporting the development of commercial product opportunities — with a focus on Busselton Jetty, Wellington National Park, Valley of the Giants: Tree Top Walk, National Anzac Centre, Margaret River caves and lighthouses, and upgrades to the Gloucester/Bicentennial Trees.

• Diversify the product offer across the region through the development of agritourism, dark sky, wellness, adventure and food, wine and produce experiences.

2. Develop and showcase Aboriginal tourism.

• Expand interpretive signage, dual naming and Acknowledgment of Country as a foundation for visitor education and awarenessraising throughout the region.

• Facilitate the inclusion of Aboriginal tourism experiences in mainstream tourism offerings, to drive demand and awareness for local product.

• Support the development of new, and rejuvenation of, existing Aboriginal tourism products in the region.

• Implement priority actions from the Jina: WA Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2021-2025 (or future editions) related to South West/ Great Southern, including the Custodians Program.

3. Strengthen access to and within the region.

• Expand aviation networks, services and land side / terminal infrastructure at Busselton Margaret River and Albany Airports, and secure first point of entry status for Busselton Margaret River airport to support direct international services.

• Expand berthing and landside infrastructure to support cruise shipping and superyachts in Bunbury, Busselton and Albany.

• Advocate for construction of a pedestrian/cycle bridge on the South Coast Highway at Nornalup to enable access to the Valley of the Giants trails.

• Improve wayfinding, entry and departure signage to facilitate navigation, visitor dispersal and improve visitor understanding and awareness of the regional tourism assets.

4. Grow and diversify the accommodation offer by addressing specific subregional gaps and priorities.

• Grow the inventory and range of commercial short stay accommodation throughout the region, focusing on:

- Accommodation within or near national parks or trail networks

- Bunbury Geographe: group, family and budget style, four to five-star and luxury hotels, self-contained accommodation

- Margaret River Region: five-star and luxury hotel / resorts servicing business and leisure visitation, and niche accommodation

- Southern Forests and Valleys: self-contained and luxury accommodation

- Great Southern region: self-contained, camping, niche and experiential, five-star and luxury hotel /resorts.

• Facilitate the development of tourism worker accommodation throughout the region.

5. Strengthen the ASW regional brand and assets to support strategic marketing at all levels within the region.

• Develop an ASW Brand and Style Guide and relevant toolkits, which utilises and clearly aligns to the Tourism WA global brand strategy and toolkits.

• Develop a region wide niche marketing strategy.

• Position the South West Edge as an iconic drive for the state.

6. Build and leverage events to promote visitation and dispersal.

• Establish signature events in the Margaret River and Great Southern regions.

• Leverage the Albany Bicentenary in 2026 including opportunities to showcase the region, collaborate with other events and promote Aboriginal culture through truth and storytelling.

• Leverage major sporting events that attract global markets, including showcasing the region through product packaging.

7. Strengthen industry capacity and capability to support sustainability of tourism across the region.

• Support and facilitate training and development opportunities across the region to increase the pool of tourism workers.

• Improve industry capacity and grow the sustainability (environmental, social and economic), and accessibility credentials of the region.

PART 2: UNDERSTANDING THE REGION

AUSTRALIA’S SOUTH WEST TOURISM REGION OVERVIEW

The ASW region is one of Western Australia’s five tourism regions, bordered by Destination Perth to the north and Australia’s Golden Outback to the east. With more than 1,000 kilometres of coastline, 24 national parks, five wine regions and a wide range of natural and cultural attractions and supporting industries such as agriculture and viticulture, the ASW region is geographically diverse.

Within the ASW region there are four distinct and diverse tourism subregions.

• Bunbury Geographe, including Harvey, Collie, Bunbury, Dardanup, Capel, Donnybrook, Balingup and surrounds.

• Margaret River Region, including Busselton, Dunsborough, Yallingup, Margaret River, Augusta and surrounds.

• Southern Forests and Valleys, including Walpole, Nannup, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown, Pemberton, Greenbushes, Manjimup, Northcliffe and surrounds.

• Great Southern Region, including Katanning, Kojonup, Cranbrook, Mount Barker, Denmark, Albany, Bremer Bay and surrounds.

Destination maturity varies significantly across the subregions. The Margaret River Region is the most mature while Southern Forests and Valleys is developing. Bunbury Geographe and Great Southern destination maturity is mixed — with well-established cities of Bunbury and Albany alongside emerging towns and destinations, such as Collie and Katanning. Notwithstanding, these tourism subregions share some defining characteristics — the beauty of their natural environment, the quality of food, beverage and produce, cultural heritage and an array of visitor experiences including adventure and special events — along with many unique attributes.

Leveraging these shared qualities at a regional level, differentiating unique attributes at a subregional level, and balancing the needs and functions of each in context of their destination maturity will be key focus to deepen visitor understanding, attraction, access and dispersal through the TDMP.

PERTH

BUNBURY GEOGRAPHE

LEGEND

MARGARET RIVER REGION

BUNBURY GEOGRAPHE

MARGARET RIVER REGION

SOUTHERN FORESTS & VALLEYS

SOUTHERN FORESTS & VALLEYS

GREAT SOUTHERN

GREAT SOUTHERN

HARVEY

DONNYBROOK DARDANUP COLLIE BUNBURY

CAPEL

DUNSBOROUGH BUSSELTON

COWARAMUP

MARGARET RIVER

WINDY HARBOUR YALLINGUP

NANNUP

AUGUSTA

BALINGUP GREENBUSHES

KATANNING

KOJONUP

BOYUP BROOK BRIDGETOWN

MANJIMUP

PEMBERTON

NORTHCLIFFE

WALPOLE

NORNALUP

WOODANILLING BROOMEHILL-TAMBELLUP

PINGRUP

GNOWANGERUP JERRAMUNGUP

CRANBROOK

BREMER BAY

MOUNT BARKER

DENMARK ALBANY

VISITOR ECONOMY

Sources: Tourism WA Regional Tourism Satellite Account (20219–220), Tourism Research Australia Tourism Businesses in Australia 2017 to 2022, Australian Bureau of Statistics, International Visitor Survey (2022, 2023), National Visitor Survey (2022, 2023).

VALUE OF THE VISITOR ECONOMY 2021-22 – $1.9 BILLION BY GRP (DIRECT + INDIRECT)

• 2,921 Tourism Businesses

- 1,148 nano (non-employing)

- 901 micro (1–4 employees)

- 697 small (5–19 employees)

- 169 medium (20–199 employees)

- 6 large (200+ employees)

(Source: Tourism Research Australia 2022)

In 2021-22, the tourism industry in the ASW region accounted for 17.3 per cent of jobs, with 22,400 people employed (directly and indirectly).

Approximately 6.9 million people visited the ASW region in 2023. The following visitation figures show that for the year ending December 2023, domestic day and overnight markets formed 98 per cent of the ASW region’s inbound market, the majority spending time in Bunbury Geographe and Margaret River Region.

VISITOR PROFILE 2023

• 6.9 million visitors spending $3.4 billion

• 52 per cent day trip visitors spending $663 million

• 46 per cent domestic overnight visitors spending $2.6 billion

• 2 per cent international visitors spending $164 million

INTERNATIONAL MARKET – TOP HOME COUNTRIES (2023)

2

TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS

MARKET SEGMENTATION & POSITIONING

MARKET DATA & SEGMENTATION

Source market and market segmentation data and practice are generally limited to the top-line definitions (domestic day, domestic overnight, international overnight) with limited data on what drives visitor demand and potential niche / emerging markets.

HIGH-YIELD TRAVELLERS

Tourism WA focuses its marketing activities on targeting the High-Yield Traveller (HYT) segment, which is predominantly visitors from key international markets and interstate markets.

HYTs will differ for each destination and tourism experience within the ASW region and granular data is not available to identify these for each one. For WA, HYTs are broadly defined as travellers that are not challenged by long-haul travel, are considering a holiday to WA, enjoy nature, wildlife, aquatic, coastal and food and wine experiences and have above-average spending on holiday.

The important factors for a HYT (when visiting WA) when choosing a long-haul destination include world-class nature and wildlife, a safe and secure destination, good food, wine, local cuisine and produce, world-class coastlines, beaches and marine wildlife, and rich history and heritage. While the most appealing WA experiences are outdoor/nature, observing wildlife/marine life, coastal/beach, engaging with wildlife/marine life and food and wine experiences.

Priorities and actions identified in the TDMP and associated RTDS are designed to reflect the interests of this market and align with both the state’s and the ASW region’s tourism assets.

INTERSTATE & INTRASTATE MARKET

This approach is complemented by the ASW RTO, which also targets high-yield travellers and works with the Tourism WA domestic segmentation model to attract HYTs.

DESTINATION MARKETING

Current destination marketing responsibilities and focuses (for key markets) are outlined as follows:

• Tourism WA’s activity focuses on attracting HYTs from international and interstate markets, with a strategic focus on the Margaret River Region due to its reputation and recognition as a visitation driver.

• ASW RTO is primarily responsible for intrastate markets and supporting Tourism WA in interstate markets.

• Local Tourism Operators (LTOs) are responsible for marketing the subregions to intrastate markets.

• Visitor centres are responsible for providing information to visitors once they arrive at a destination, that encourages them to stay longer, spend more money, experience more attractions and revisit.

GLOBAL TOURISM WA BRAND — WALKING ON A DREAM

Walking On A Dream is Tourism WA’s global tourism brand, which aims to elevate the profile of Western Australia as a unique destination within a highly-competitive global marketplace to turbocharge visitation and boost the WA economy.

The Walking On A Dream creative concept positions Western Australia as a wondrous, otherworldly, dreamlike and aspirational destination. Walking On A Dream weaves the themes of Time, Space, Connection and Freedom into the WA narrative. These thematic pillars represent key attributes that global travellers seek from a destination in a post-pandemic world.

The Walking On A Dream creative concept provides uniqueness to Tourism WA’s marketing and communications, to make Western Australia shine as an aspirational, memorable and desirable destination for leisure and business travel, from now and into the future.

The global Tourism WA brand is a vital element of the framework to inform demandside actions and priorities identified within the TDMP.

ASW BRAND POSITIONING

A significant element of leveraging the Walking On A Dream global brand is the development of an ASW region-wide brand strategy that articulates the strategic positioning, unique selling proposition (USP) and points of differentiation for the region. Without this top down approach, there has been significant brand fragmentation, which creates a challenging context for market penetration, with multiple brands competing with similar propositions, for the same markets across the region.

A regional brand framework will provide stakeholders with a greater understanding of the region’s brand, and a collaborative approach to branding. This will clarify USPs, key messaging, leverage resources, strengthen collaborative marketing at a regional level, and maximise return on investment over the next 10 years.

ACCESS

Access plays a fundamental role in determining the success of a region’s tourism industry. It refers to the physical connectivity and ease of travel within, and to, the destination, encompassing various modes of transportation such as air, road, rail, and sea. The availability of efficient and well-connected transportation infrastructure significantly influences the attractiveness of a region to tourists. The following is an outline of the physical connections to, and within, the ASW tourism region.

AVIATION

South West

Busselton Margaret River Airport opened on 15 March 1997, and in 2017 significant government investment was made to aviation infrastructure and route development, enabling the region to directly connect with interstate destinations, with potential for international connections in the future.

Direct Melbourne and Sydney flights provide access for interstate visitors. Future destinations include Denpasar and Singapore. The airport offers connecting services such as car hire, taxi and private charters. These services play a significant role in dispersing visitors beyond Busselton-Margaret River to Southern Forests and Valleys and Bunbury Geographe.

Great Southern

Located 11 kilometres from Albany’s city centre, the Albany Regional Airport is the southern gateway for air travel to the region, handling roughly 60,000 passenger movements per annum. Flights are currently operated by Rex Airlines with 14 return flights from Perth each week. The airport offers connecting services such as car hire, taxi and private charters and in 2017, upgrades to the runway, taxiway and medical infrastructure were completed. Future planning for expansion of airport infrastructure and ground services will be needed to attract interstate and international service routes.

SELF-DRIVE

South West

Bunbury Geographe is located approximately two hours’ drive south of Perth (via Kwinana Freeway and Forrest Highway / State Route 2 or South West Highway). Bunbury is a primary gateway to the broader ASW region with direct access to Margaret River Region via Bussell Highway / State Route 10 (approximately 45 minutes to Busselton, one hour, 20 minutes to Margaret River, 30 minutes to Collie and the Ferguson Valley, and just over one hour to Southern Forests and Valleys (Bridgetown via National Route 1, Nannup via Bussell Highway / State Route 10 and Vasse Highway / State Route 104).

The Bunbury Outer Ring Road, scheduled for completion in late 2024, will ease congestion for visitors passing through the Bunbury Geographe region, providing a safer and time saving route. It will make developing destinations such as Collie and Ferguson Valley more accessible, as well providing benefits to the Margaret River Region by reducing the drive time from Perth. Impacts on tourism for Bunbury will need to be monitored and managed, with visitors potentially bypassing the city in their travels.

Great Southern

From Perth, the most direct access route into the Great Southern subregion is via Albany Highway / State Route 30. Albany, Denmark and Mount Barker are located between four and four and a half hours from Perth while Bremer Bay, the subregion’s eastern most town is approximately five and a half hours from Perth. The subregion can also be accessed via scenic and longer approaches through the Bunbury Geographe, and Southern Forests and Valleys subregions via Manjimup, Pemberton and Walpole, or by travelling along the Great Southern Highway, which provides access to towns including Woodanilling, Katanning and Cranbrook.

CRUISE

The ASW region provides three of the state’s cruise ports, namely the Port of Bunbury, Busselton Jetty, and Albany Port. In Busselton, passengers disembark via tenders. Albany Port is located within walking distance of Albany city centre and the lower York Street tourism precinct. A 250 metre pedestrian footbridge provides good pedestrian connectivity and shuttle services are available to and from the port.

COACH

A range of TransWA coach services depart Perth to destinations across ASW region including, but not limited to, Bunbury, Margaret River, Walpole, Pemberton, Collie, Bridgetown, Boyup Brook, Kojonup, Denmark and Albany.

PRIVATE TRANSPORT

Private transport options include charter vehicle (including a range of bookable tour product predominantly throughout the Margaret River Region), coach, helicopter and aircraft.

RAIL

The TransWA Australind train travels from Perth to Bunbury, with connecting road coaches to Albany and Collie / Boyup Brook.

ROAD-TRIP CONNECTIONS

The ASW region is diverse, providing a range of contrasting landscapes and experiences. Road trip itineraries can be found on the ASW RTO website and LTO websites. These range from nature-based road trips to immerse visitors in the unique and diverse natural elements of the region, to itineraries that take in the food and beverage provenance of the region.

The South West Edge is the region’s cross regional road trip. Linking three tourism regions of WA, it starts in Destination Perth and traverses the four subregions of the ASW region, crossing into Australia’s Golden Outback region to reach Esperance. This road trip has the potential to be one of the state’s iconic road trips.

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation refers to lodging options such as hotels, resorts, caravan parks, camp grounds and short stay rentals. It is essential for tourism as it provides a comfortable base for visitors to explore the region’s attractions.

Accommodation infrastructure drives destination development, attracting more tourists and encouraging investment. Quality accommodation enhances visitor experiences and satisfaction. It also has significant economic importance, generating revenue, creating jobs, and stimulating other sectors. The availability and quality of accommodation can influence the length of tourists’ stays, leading to increased spending and benefiting local businesses.

Table 1 provides a view of accommodation offerings within the ASW region, collated using the Australian Accommodation Monitor (AAM) (which includes hotels, motels, serviced apartments and cabins in caravan parks of 10+ rooms) and Inside Airbnb. Reliable data is not available for camp grounds and caravan sites. Please note there still may be discrepancies in this data, and the State Government is progressing initiatives to better collect data on the accommodation market.

Accommodation is ageing and generally of three-star quality encompassing 129 accommodation facilities with 2,700 beds.

Proposals to increase capacity include two hotel developments in Bunbury and redevelopment of the Collie Roundhouse.

(Source: Bunbury-Wellington and Boyup Brook Regional Tourism Development Strategy 2015–2019)

A wide range of accommodation (11 midscale, 16 upper midscale, 11 upscale, 7 luxury) available from luxury to bush campsites with a total of 1,605 beds.

Proposed future developments include both luxury and affordable accommodation such as Busselton Foreshore, Smiths Beach, Wallcliffe House, the Margaret River Hotel, Cape Lodge and Gnarabup.

Generally characterised by midscale hotels, three-star motels, farm stays, unique guesthouses and private rentals / Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) with 38 commercial accommodation facilities. It is noted that there has been significant recent investment in the Karri Valley Resort. Future development plans include a new motel in Manjimup.

Dominated by holiday homes and smallscale providers. Across the region there are 192 LTO-registered accommodation providers, with 2,700 beds. This includes 17 commercial hotels/motels in Albany including newly constructed Hilton Garden Inn and additional 66-room hotel planned for Middleton Beach.

Katanning is home to the boutique Premier Mill Hotel and is also one of the few destinations in the Upper Great Southern with an RV park.

BUNBURY GEOGRAPHE MARGARET RIVER REGION

SOUTHERN FORESTS & VALLEYS GREAT SOUTHERN

Table 1: ASW accommodation profile (2022)

ACTIVITIES, ATTRACTIONS & EVENTS

Activities, attractions and events play crucial roles in tourism industry development and the depth, diversity and uniqueness of these experiences significantly influences a visitor’s decision when choosing a holiday destination. Providing a range of activities, attractions and events can enhance the visitor experience, generate economic benefits and employment opportunities, differentiate a destination and increase length of stay and visitor dispersal. They also provide local communities with opportunities to actively participate in tourism and share their culture, heritage and traditions with visitors.

The region has more than 280 marketed attractions aligned with five shared product pillars — nature and biodiversity, culture and heritage, adventure, wine food and produce, events and festivals. Products, attractions and experiences related to nature and biodiversity are most strongly evidenced and marketed, and these include sites and destinations in national parks, which are intrinsic to the ASW region’s tourism offer. The ASW region is home to iconic nature-based offerings within protected estate, including the Bibbulmun Track, Munda Biddi Trail, Cape to Cape Track and recently constructed MTB (mountain bike) trails. The region’s national parks are a significant visitation driver, with popular attractions including The Gap and Natural Bridge within Torndirrup National Park, the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park, and the Granite Skywalk in the Porongurup National Park.

EVENTS

Events play a valuable role in adding vibrancy to a destination, giving visitors a time-certain reason to visit, disperse across the subregions, or stay an extra night in a location. Established major event activities, such as Margaret River Pro and midtier events such as Ironman WA, Truffle Kerfuffle, Cinefest OZ, Cape to Cape MTB and Taste Great Southern each play a role in supporting visitation to the subregions.

Various smaller events underpin these larger activities and are funded with grants and sponsorship. Typically, these are activities that are either community focused, or participation activities.

Business events include association conferences, tradeshows, meetings, seminars, and corporate and incentive events. The demand for a business event is driven mainly by organisations choosing it as a forum to communicate messages, to educate or train, to promote a product, to reward or celebrate, to collaborate on issues and solutions, or to generate resources.

Business events are a highly competitive market, with WA competing against domestic and international competitors to secure business events for the state, a role currently undertaken by Business Events Perth (BEP). BEP prioritises its member venues and suppliers for these opportunities. Local/state business events (corporate or association meetings) are not actively pursued by BEP, however these local business events are attracted to regional areas that have the necessary facilities to accommodate their needs, and may be a lucrative market for destinations seeking to expand their inbound visitation.

Events play a role in attracting visitation to the ASW region throughout the year, and are an emerging visitation driver in all the subregions except for the Margaret River Region, which has signature events activities that reflect its maturity as a subregion. Business events are an emerging opportunity for the Margaret River Region, Lower Great Southern (Albany) and Bunbury Geographe, and a development opportunity for Southern Forests and Valleys and Upper Great Southern.

TRUFFLE HILL, MANJIMUP

DEVELOPMENT PILLARS

The following development pillars have been selected to delineate essential areas of focus for the sustainable and strategic growth and success of the ASW tourism destination. Through a desktop analysis of the existing activities, attractions and events, this evaluation identifies areas with potential for growth and development, as well as highlighting signature opportunities that can attract HYTs to a destination. Strategic marketing efforts should effectively capitalise on these opportunities, leveraging their unique characteristics to bolster the destination’s competitive positioning and appeal.

Over the TDMP’s 10-year timeframe, the product development focus, when established and resourced, should continue to strengthen the five shared product pillars across the ASW region and enable differentiation at a subregional level. Product development resources and focus should align with and reinforce each subregion’s unique brand positioning and future marketing focus.

ACTIVITIES, ATTRACTIONS & EVENTS

SIGNATURE: Product well established and represented in destination marketing.

EMERGING: Product is established, growing representation in destination marketing.

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY: Limited established product

2: Development pillars ASW

PART 3: INSIGHTS INFORMING THE TDMP

DESTINATION MATURITY OF THE ASW SUBREGIONS

The destination maturity of the ASW subregions has been determined through analysis of the current visitor economy, market awareness, access, accommodation, activities, attractions and events. According to Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle Model (1980), tourism destinations go through different stages of maturity, including exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation, and decline or rejuvenation. A mature tourism destination typically exhibits a well-established and diverse range of offerings, well-developed tourism infrastructure, and effective destination management practices. Understanding the maturity level of a destination helps in identifying its strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas for improvement to attract visitation and ensure the sustainability of the tourism sector. Figure 4 identifies and assesses the destination maturity of the subregions in the ASW region, identifying the areas required for improvement to enable the subregions to move upwards in the life cycle model.

Consolidation

MARGARET RIVER REGION CITY OF BUNBURY

LOWER GREAT SOUTHERN

Development

Rejuvenation

Gradual Decline

Rapid Decline Stagnation

BUNBURY GEOGRAPHE

SOUTHERN FORESTS & VALLEYS

Exploration Involvement

UPPER GREAT SOUTHERN

PHASES OF GROWTH OVER TIME

Figure 4: ASW tourism destination life cycle

Model Source: Butler (1980)

SUBREGIONAL TRANSITIONS

BUNBURY GEOGRAPHE: DEVELOPMENT ONWARDS

With major investment planned across Bunbury’s urban centre and surrounding towns and precincts, and delivery of the Collie Just Transition process, strengthening tourism product development in Bunbury Geographe, with a focus on Collie and the Ferguson Valley, is required. This is essential to realise Bunbury Geographe’s ‘hub and spoke’ destination potential and leverage the significant trails, adventure and infrastructure investment across the subregion.

MARGARET RIVER REGION: FROM CONSOLIDATION TO REJUVENATION

The Margaret River Region is in the consolidation stage. To avoid stagnation, the subregion should focus on sustaining and rejuvenating the tourism offer through product development that attracts HYTs. This includes strengthening trade partnerships across food, produce and fine wine.

Future product should focus on regeneration of the natural environment (national parks) and strengthening partnerships and capacity. This will include targeted investment into growing the Aboriginal tourism sector, such as through the joint management of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.

Investing in the night-time economy of the subregion through the development of a series of night-time attractions, unique experiences and events will assist the creation of new tourism assets.

There is a strategic focus on balancing visitor demand throughout the year to avoid over tourism in peak season, and strengthening events will also be a key focus.

SOUTHERN FORESTS & VALLEYS: TRANSITION TO DEVELOPMENT

Realising tourism opportunities provided through the Native Forest Transition Plan, such as the development of agritourism, delivering on the vision as an adventure trails hub and regenerating attractions such as the Gloucester Tree, will require coordinated planning and sustained investment. New accommodation, product development, special events and support for industry capacity building is needed. There is currently no well-defined Aboriginal cultural tourism offer, which will also need to be a focus.

GREAT SOUTHERN

For the Lower Great Southern there is a need to grow demand for Albany as a high value, market-ready and nationally-significant inbound destination. This should be prioritised along with an immediate focus on developing bookable product and delivering additional new accommodation, complementing the subregion’s focus on strengthening trade and tourism partnerships.

A significant opportunity for the subregion is improving accommodation in the Upper Great Southern. Leveraging Katanning’s tourism investment and the Premier Mill Hotel is a significant opportunity.

A key differentiator is the Great Southern’s arts, culture and heritage, leveraging significant national attractions and continuing to strengthen food and wine, Aboriginal tourism assets and industry capacity.

Notes:

The Great Southern Region has been separated into upper and lower, reflecting distribution of population, assets, attractions and investment and its geographic breadth and diversity. This assessment has been developed based on current data available from Tourism Research Australia (TRA).

TRENDS & FOCUSES

GROWTH IN SELF-DRIVE

In 2021, the caravan and camping industry recorded a $23.8 billion impact to the Australian economy (Source: Caravan Industry Association of Australia). People increasingly seek to avoid dense, crowded spaces, presenting opportunities for the establishment of more unique, regionally distinctive camping options.

The ASW region can maximise the value of this critical sector through a focus on accommodation and products that showcase the region’s natural attributes.

ABORIGINAL TOURISM

The appeal of Indigenous travel experiences is growing globally. According to the International Visitor Survey, in 2019, approximately 1.4 million international visitors took part in an Aboriginal experience on their holiday to Australia. Tourism WA is committed to the expansion of Aboriginal tourism in the state in partnership with key stakeholders such as the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC).

With over 80 per cent of visitors expressing interest in taking part in an Aboriginal tourism experience, Tourism WA views Aboriginal tourism as a key pillar and differentiator for the state’s tourism offer. However, currently only 17 per cent of visitors are able to undertake an Aboriginal tourism experience for a variety of reasons, including a lack of accessible time or products. It is therefore crucial to consider opportunities for Aboriginal tourism experiences in product development and planning.

In the ASW region, there are currently around four Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses. Building capacity within these businesses, and growing the sector to meet visitor demand, is a key strategic focus.

The Plan for Our Parks initiative presents additional opportunities for the growth in Aboriginal tourism experiences. Joint management practices of national parks, such as in Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park, will ensure Aboriginal people are engaged in decision making and create opportunities for business development and capacity building.

ACCESSIBLE & INCLUSIVE TOURISM

The need to provide greater accessibility to tourism destinations and attractions is growing. In Australia, approximately two million people with limitations or disabilities travel for leisure (plus a similar number who act as carers). TRA data in 2018 estimated that 20 per cent of the Australian population had a disability or longterm health condition, and by 2050, more than a quarter of the population will be 65 or over.

TRA estimated the accessible tourism sector in Australia in 2018 to be worth $8 billion. As the population grows and demand increases, it is expected that accessible tourism will become even more important.

WORKPLACE CHANGES

The ASW region relies heavily on working holiday makers/backpacker visitors for its casual workforce, particularly for seasonal jobs such as hospitality and agriculture/fruit picking.

There is an opportunity to tap into the increased mobility of self-drive family groups and slightly older travelling workers, who seek to work if there are facilities where they can locate themselves at an acceptable cost, with facilities and online connections.

In addition, the ASW region may benefit from the emerging trend of businessleisure tourism or “workcationers,” where individuals prefer to work remotely rather than in a traditional office setting. This presents a new niche market for ASW: young, digital nomads who can combine their work with extended periods of exploration and productivity, with the key element being their ability to stay connected online.

DARK SKY TOURISM

Dark sky tourism is growing globally. Tourism WA consumer research in 2021 targeted residents from NSW, Victoria, and WA, and identified four visitor segments: Astro Enthusiasts, Casual Stargazers, Nature and Travel Lovers, and Earthlings. Target markets are interested in a broad range of Dark Sky Tourism activities such as viewing wildlife at night, dinner under the stars, visiting observatories and public stargazing.

The national parks, coastline and open spaces of the ASW region present opportunities to develop specific tourism packages that bring together astronomy activities with unique accommodation, tours, trails, food and beverage experiences.

WILDFLOWER TOURISM

Nearly 80 per cent of the plant species found in the ASW region are endemic to the area and can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Wildflowers are prevalent throughout all the subregions during the months of September/October.

The wildflower tourism market is active with opportunities to connect the relevant areas of the region and offer another reason for visitation, to extend a stay or facilitate dispersal.

Elevating this experience for visitors through seasonal touring, inclusion in product packaging and additional seasonal festivals and events to support the Nannup Flower and Garden Festival create a cohesive experience and can attract additional visitation in the shoulder season.

HERITAGE TOURISM

Heritage tourism, defined as ‘travel to experience stories, places and traditions embodied in natural, built and cultural heritage’ is emerging as a rapidly growing tourism category. In 2017, around 15.9 million domestic day-trippers undertook a heritage or cultural tourism activity; 15.2 million domestic overnight visitors, and 4.5 million international visitors.

Of all international visitors to Australia in 2017, around 34 per cent participated in a heritage and arts activity. In 2018, domestic visitors took over 12 million daytrips (spending approximately $138 per trip) and 13 million overnight trips (average trip length of five nights, average spend approximately $1,068 per trip).

AGRITOURISM

Agritourism is a growth engine for Australian agribusiness and incorporates a range of activities that bring together agriculture and tourism friendly offerings (e.g. farmers markets and produce outlets, food and wine festivals, combined with natural attractions, culture, music and the arts).

In 2018, agritourism in Australia was valued at $10.7 billion, with 6 per cent of this attributed to domestic day-trippers, 42 per cent to domestic overnight visitors and 52 per cent to international visitors. The sector’s value is expected to increase to $18.6 billion by the end of 2030. Tourism WA’s Market Segmentation Research (November 2021) demonstrates four key insights:

• Five key market segments with distinct needs: Connected adventurers, Conscious unwinders, Indulgers, Greying nomads and Family explorers

• The considerable opportunity to embed agritourism as an appealing holiday in travellers’ minds

• An agritourism holiday has strong potential as an add on activity to an existing trip and coastal destinations have broad appeal across segments

• Activities that attract high interest include camping, bush tucker experiences and farm stays and tours.

ASW is the top tourism region of interest for WA residents seeking agritourism experiences, across all five market segments.

ADVENTURE TOURISM

In 2019 the adventure tourism market in Australia generated around $22.37 billion — estimated to increase in value to $33.519 billion by 2027 (compound annual growth rate of 21 per cent).

The soft-adventure (i.e. low to moderate risk activities such as hiking, mountain biking) market is the largest contributor of this category, predicted to remain as such into the future. Land-based adventure activities are expected to continue as the most popular attraction.

There are approximately 1,258 kilometres of hiking trails in the ASW region. In 2019, 3.17 million visitors to WA went hiking/bushwalking (23.2 per cent of international visitors and 16.7 per cent of domestic overnight visitors).

Cycle tourism has been identified globally as a key growth adventure tourism activity due to its low-impact, high-spend, and high dispersal nature.

The ASW region has benefitted from significant investment into mountain bike (MTB) trail developments in recent years, with prominent new MTB trail networks in Collie, Margaret River and Nannup, and additional trails in Walpole, Mount Barker and Albany in the planning and development stages. Leveraging this investment through awareness raising, aligned product development and additional visitor servicing infrastructure and facilities is fundamental to growing this sector.

ECOTOURISM

Ecotourism encompasses all nature-based forms of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature as well as the traditional cultures prevailing in natural areas. Major online travel booking services such as Trip.com now have over 10,000 eco-friendly travel product offerings on their platform. There are over 30 ECO Certified operators in the ASW region, the largest concentration of offerings in WA outside of Destination Perth.

The Shire of Augusta Margaret River has recently been certified as an ECO Destination — the first in Western Australia.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Combined with the move towards nature-based tourism experiences, modern day travellers have high expectations of the sustainable credentials of both destinations and experiences. Consumers place greater importance on climate change impacts, their own environmental footprint, and have a growing awareness on how destinations approach the sustainability of their tourism offer.

This trend places greater demand on operators to meet the criteria of a growing sector — Allied Market Research projects the sector to be worth US$338 billion by 2027, up from US$181 billion, with increases in both group and solo travel, and notable for market-leading growth in the Gen Z age group of travellers.

WELLNESS TOURISM

The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness tourism as travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal wellbeing. Allied Market Research valued the global wellness tourism market at $801.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $1,592.6 billion by 2030.

As a destination that already offers a range of wellness activities, including surf and yoga retreats, forest bathing and luxury spas, the ASW region can capitalise on the growing trend of wellness tourism to attract HYTs.

REGENERATIVE PRINCIPLES

Regenerative principles are the foundation for the ASW region’s future management.

Centred on revitalising environmental, social and economic ecosystems by raising awareness, shifting mindsets, leading sustainable practices and influencing behaviour change, its goal is for all stakeholders to contribute to ensuring that their interaction with a destination leaves it in a stronger, renewed state, able to be enjoyed by generations to come.

All stakeholders — industry, visitors, community — have a shared responsibility in environmental and cultural stewardship, community and capacity building and strong, sustainable economic outcomes.

FOOD & BEVERAGE PROVENANCE

A strong and evolving trend in source markets and globally, is an increasing interest in the provenance of food and drink. Consuming produce at or near the source, identifying the terroir, not just of wine, but of produce, seafood and drink, and the craft of production are all highly marketable trends that are becoming expected experiences in high value markets and the region can capitalise on this.

The ASW region is renowned for its award-winning food and wine. The region’s climate provides ideal conditions for producing premium wines. and an abundance of fresh, high-quality produce.

Visitors can explore the local farmers markets, which showcase a wide array of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, and artisanal products. Providing excellent opportunity to taste and purchase seasonal produce directly from the farmers and local producers.

Visitors can enjoy meals prepared with fresh, seasonal produce, often accompanied by regional wines. Some establishments even offer behind-the-scenes tours, allowing guests to see firsthand how the ingredients are grown and harvested.

This is a key selling point for ASW and should be leveraged by connecting with the making element of food and beverages, overlaying culture to create unique connections with place and people that can become world leading visitor experiences and marketable products.

NOONGAR CUSTODIAN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

There are approximately four Aboriginal owned tourism businesses operating in the Bunbury Geographe, Margaret River Region and Great Southern subregions. Building sustainability and capacity within these businesses will be a key focus for the region which also aligns with the priorities of the Jina: WA Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2021–2025 (the Jina Plan).

The South West Native Title Settlement may bring opportunities for Aboriginal cultural tourism development within its community and economic development, land, heritage and governance frameworks which will guide future decision-making pathways.

In context of the TDMP, the South West Native Title Settlement involves:

• Four of the overall six Noongar Agreement Groups — Gnaala Karla Booja Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA), South West Boojarah ILUA and Wagyl Kaip and Southern Noongar ILUA.

• Establishment of Cultural Advice Committees.

• Opportunities for joint or co-operative management of nominated national parks, in partnership with Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).

• Identification and development of infrastructure and a capital works program, to support cultural and economic participation and capacity building.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ACROSS THE REGION HAS IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES:

THEME OPPORTUNITIES

Boodja, bush tucker, language, art and history

On-Country, codesigned, inclusive partnerships

Improve and sustain economic security

On-Country, codesigned training programs with employment opportunities

Co-designed business development / support

Supporting existing businesses

Connection to Country and the six seasons, dual naming through signage, storytelling and truth telling through history and art exhibitions, yarning circles, and bush tucker food and tours.

Bringing people together through cross-region networks, developing partnerships with local Aboriginal Corporations, Local Government Authorities (LGAs), state government agencies and tourism attractions.

Fair access to grants and funding, developing tourism ‘hubs’ at former missions and key places, transport accessibility, competitive business models that can sustain seasonality.

Tour guides, rangers, hospitality, cooking product development. Employment pathways through job shadowing, traineeships, apprenticeships, mentoring and management.

Place-based support (on-Country), support for business training, HR, product development and equipment, and support with supply chains — e.g. bush tucker suppliers.

Economic stability of staff, resources and suppliers.

Table 3: Growth opportunities for the ASW region

INTERNATIONAL MARKET INSIGHTS

Tourism Australia’s Future of Demand Research:

ASW Region Analysis

The Research

The Future of Global Tourism Demand project highlights the experiences that will drive Australia’s tourism demand now and into the future across Australia’s 19 core international markets, plus Australia.

The Method

The research occurred between December 2021 and June 2022. The process engaged close to 24,000 travellers from 20 markets (19 international markets, plus Australian out-of-region travellers).

It actively assessed stakeholder knowledge, published documentation, and online conversations to provide a foundation to build hypotheses that were then validated through quantitative survey processes.

EXPERIENCE SECTORS & SIZE OF MARKET INTEREST

Refer to pages 54–56 for a breakdown of each experience sector.

ASW INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

International market visitor breakdown (2023)

HERITAGE EXPERIENCE SECTOR

Heritage travellers experience the world through its places and people. These travellers have an overall interest in history and Indigenous activities.

Top Heritage Markets:

Malaysia – Activity of highest appeal is visiting architecture and monuments.

Highlight: The Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the National Anzac Centre of Albany, and Wonnerup House.

United Kingdom – Highest appeal activity is war history.

Highlight: The National Anzac Centre, Princess Royal Fortress, Padre White Lookout and the Avenue of Honour.

Germany – Highest appeal activity is visiting Indigenous sites.

Highlight: Bunbury Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours, Albany Kurrah Mia Tours, and the Margaret River Koomal Dreaming experience.

NATURE EXPERIENCE SECTOR

Nature travellers immerse themselves into nature via landmarks and wildlife. These travellers have an overall interest in the natural environment and its phenomena.

Top Heritage Markets:

United Kingdom – Activity of highest appeal is wildlife in their natural environment.

Highlight: ASW is home to both land and marine animals which can be found throughout the ASW national parks and in its oceans.

Malaysia – Highest appeal activity is seasonal natural events.

Highlight: Wildflower drive itineraries could attract the interest of this market.

Germany – Highest appeal activity is marine life watching.

Highlight: ASW is home to wildlife such as whales, orcas, dolphins and rays, with a range of tours offering these opportunities. Positioning ASW as a wildlife hotspot is an opportunity for this market.

INTEREST EXPERIENCE SECTOR

Interest travellers are driven by their hobbies and passions. They possess an overall interest in an array of personal avocations.

Top Interest Market:

No strong appeal to key markets in the ASW tourism region but potential opportunities for wildflowers, sporting events and dark sky.

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE SECTOR

Immersive travellers seek to broaden their world understanding through learning, education and personal development. They are interested in personal journeys, agritourism, eco experiences and learning.

Top Immersive Market:

Singapore – Activity of highest appeal is farm experiences.

Highlight: ASW has multiple farm experiences providers, both in unique accommodation stays and on-farm tours and activities.

ADVENTURE EXPERIENCE SECTOR

Adventure travellers pursue activity and exploration through land, sky and water. They are interested in water activities, land and sky exploring, driving, and camping journeys.

Top Adventure Markets:

Germany – Activity of highest appeal is hiking / walking and cycling.

Highlight: ASW has a wide array of tracks and trails, including cycling. Opportunity to disperse German travellers to ASW through promotion of extensive national park trails.

France – Activity of highest appeal is walking tours.

Highlight: Walking tour opportunities throughout the region.

SENSORY EXPERIENCE SECTOR

Sensory travellers are focused on enjoyment via good food and drink, sightseeing and culture.

Top Sensory Markets:

UK/Singapore/ Malaysia – Activity of highest appeal is dining out.

Highlight: ASW’s wineries, restaurants, breweries and distilleries.

China/Italy/UK/France – Highest appeal activity is beaches.

Highlight: Over 1,000 kilometres of pristine coastline and home to award-winning beaches. Food and drink festivals, spa treatments, tasting trails and wine, beer and liquor tastings are also widely available.

DOMESTIC MARKET INSIGHTS

Tourism WA Domestic Segmentation Model

Tourism WA’s Domestic Segmentation Model (2023) identifies the full range of domestic trip types in Australia and focuses primarily on WA’s current market share of each trip segment. It studied intrastate and interstate markets and was built using 200 variables of data collected from 3,500 Australians in July and August 2022, resulting in data on approximately 6,500 trips, forming the model’s basis.

Six types of trips were identified along with their market share, average spend, popular activities and experiences and reasons for destination choice.

This tool is used to inform supply and demand side decisions for ASW by identifying the destinations and/or product mix that appeals to the different segments, particularly in targeting HYTs. The marketing and product development opportunities and key infrastructure projects over 10 years for ASW have been aligned to each domestic trip segment, as outlined below. This demonstrates that the priority projects and opportunities for the ASW region predominantly target the Premium Nature (PN), Simple Nature (SN), Family Time (FT), Luxe Culture (LC) and Relax and Recharge (RR) segments through the mix of naturebased, luxury, family-friendly and cultural and Aboriginal tourism projects.

PREMIUM NATURE

This trip type is a premium adventure holiday in nature, exploring untouched wilderness and new experiences.

Average spend: $332 per person per night.

Popular activities that ASW region has for a PN travellers include: Aboriginal experiences, ecotourism activities, national parks, restaurants, food and wine, bushwalking and wildlife.

Product development outlined in the TDMP align with the characteristics of a PN trip. A focus on bringing some Aboriginal, adventure and nature-based products to luxury standard will assist in the attraction.

The new domestic air routes into Busselton offer an opportunity to capture interstate PN market through tours and itineraries that actively promote Aboriginal tourism, ecotourism and unique nature and wildlife. As a new domestic route, interstate travellers who haven’t been to ASW region would also be suitable for targeted marketing, as they desire to explore new places.

LUXE CULTURE

This trip type is a luxury escape staying at four or five-star hotels and resorts, focusing on restaurants, shopping and culture.

Average spend: $230 per person per night.

The ASW region does not currently capitalise on the LC segment.

Niche activities tend to over index in this segment, particularly for activities like cruising, luxury nature experiences, theme parks, theatres, health and wellness and concerts.

The Margaret River subregion is most closely aligned with this segment, and a focus on luxury elements would appeal to LC trip takers. This could include the range of sights and activities that would be considered luxury (award winning wineries and restaurants, wellness activities, festivals) and the high-quality accommodation in the region. However, there is a gap in five-star options to capture this segment.

FAMILY TIME

This trip type is a family holiday on the coast, returning to favourite destinations, relaxing by the beach.

Average spend: $172 per person per night.

The ASW region incorporates many of the interests of a FT traveller.

Bushwalking is a popular activity for this segment, which can be promoted to FT trip takers.

The region could capture a stronger share of this segment, particularly to attract intrastate travellers. This could be done through a focus on its core activities in summer of relaxing at the beach, family friendly activities and water-based activities. The subregions that align most closely with this offering are Bunbury Geographe and Margaret River, as they are known for their good weather and beach lifestyle.

The regional focus over 10 years is on developing into a renowned trails region, which aligns with the needs of this segment.

SIMPLE NATURE

This trip type is a holiday in nature to relax, escape distraction and reconnect to the simple things.

Average spend: $121 per person per night.

Although a low spend trip, the region’s natural assets, unique national parks and forests and outdoor activities make it an ideal destination for the SN segment.

The region’s forward pipeline of projects includes expanding and consolidating its range of trails and nature-based assets, which will appeal to the SN segment.

Activities that are popular are nature holiday (e.g. camping), wilderness, national parks and forests, wildlife, rest and relaxation and bushwalking.

Promoting these activities will attract the SN segment.

RELAX & RECHARGE

This trip type is a quick getaway in between longer holidays focused on relaxing.

Average spend: $201 per person per night.

For an RR trip, it is more about relaxation than destination. The ASW region could capture more of this segment through a focus on marketing itself as a relaxing destination, and promoting package deals that make the booking and thought process easier for consumers.

Activities that are popular with this segment are food and wine, wineries/vineyards, concerts/performances and art festivals. Each subregion in the ASW region could satisfy these elements and attract RR trip takers.

Weekends away, weddings and travel for events are a key element of this market.

The region has a strategic focus on growing and promoting wellness tourism over the next 10 years, which aligns with the needs of this segment.

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Opportunities and challenges identified in the baseline analysis and stakeholder engagement program have informed the direction of the TDMP vision, priorities and strategies. They are summarised on the pages that follow across the pillars of supply, demand and capability.

SUPPLY

As a key gap for the region, the planning and delivery of a broad accommodation mix that responds to subregional needs is critical. This includes niche and experiential accommodation, luxury hotels / resorts, self-contained, group accommodation and accommodation and facilities that are suited to business travel requirements. More broadly, amenity and infrastructure priorities include leveraging aviation networks, improving town centre amenities, national park attractions, key worker housing, visitor amenities (including internet connectivity) and improving on-ground transport throughout the region.

Strategic product development will focus on bolstering the existing cross-regional product while cultivating new and existing products and experiences. These efforts are underpinned by the provision of suitable resources and the fostering of capacity building initiatives to support the growth of emerging tourism operators. Aligning product development in the areas of Aboriginal culture and heritage, adventure, nature and trails experiences, as well as food, wine, and agritourism offerings will capitalise on regional strengths and consumer-led tourism trends to create a cohesive, authentic and attractive experience throughout the region.

Unlocking the tourism benefits from significant investment in trails infrastructure is a priority for the region. This requires activation of baseline infrastructure through dedicated programming of tours and product development and the completion of ‘wrap around’ services, infrastructure and town centre connections to enable marketing and operational resourcing.

Fundamental to attracting and enabling private sector investment in the region is a focus on coordinated investment and planning frameworks across state and local governments. This should encompass a managed approach to identifying opportunities for development, land supply, infrastructure delivery and approvals. The South West Native Title Settlement is a potential opportunity for capital investment in cultural heritage assets, new infrastructure and management partnerships.

Recognising the value of events as a driver of growth and demand is important, and specific focus is needed on new concepts that respond to gaps including food, wine and local produce, adventure, winter/ shoulder season and Aboriginal cultural events.

Opportunities

• Strengthening and growing aviation access and networks for Busselton Margaret River and Albany airports.

• Investing in niche product development and packaging and diversifying the accommodation offer.

• Leveraging regional trails investment — connectivity, events, accommodation, other ‘wrap-around’ services and infrastructure.

• Supporting the growth of Aboriginal tourism offerings and increasing cultural presence.

• Strengthening and growing crossregional product: food and wine, events and festivals, arts and culture, history and heritage, Aboriginal experiences, seasonal wildflower products/events.

• Leveraging capital investment projects such as Bunbury Waterfront and Saltwater Busselton Convention and Performing Arts Centre.

• Growing and leveraging business event focused infrastructure including accommodation and facilities.

• Leveraging trail investment in Nannup, Pemberton and Blackwood and Walpole and growing bookable products on existing trails, including Munda Biddi and Bibbulmun.

Challenges

• State government coordination to attract and facilitate private sector investment.

• Lack of recurrent operational / management funding for trails and other infrastructure.

• Depth and diversity of ‘bookable’ products and experiences across some subregions.

• Resourcing for experience and product development.

• Development of additional national park infrastructure and amenities.

• Lack of on ground, in-region transport options, particularly at night.

• Lack of accessible and affordable tourism worker’s accommodation.

• Managing over-tourism and its impacts on the natural environment.

DEMAND

Key priorities and considerations for strengthening tourism demand centre on a more consolidated approach to market definition and segmentation, and regional branding.

Cross-region visitor dispersal — through a hub and spoke approach — to established and emerging destinations is important in supporting product development. As an example, leveraging private sector investments and the flow on effect of assets (such as the Premier Mill Hotel in Katanning) present opportunities to achieve this.

Development of a regional brand strategy that aligns with the Tourism WA brand strategy and identity is needed. This should be supported by unique, high quality content and digital marketing.

Targeted market definition through Tourism Australia

Future of Demand and Tourism WA Domestic Segmentation research is important in informing the development of strategic and signature products to address the above. The analysis undertaken in this document, shows how this can be achieved particularly in context of attracting HYTs from interstate and international markets. Growing demand in these markets will contribute to the growth in direct aviation routes into the region and it will be crucial for strategic work to be undertaken to achieve this.

Opportunities

• Strengthening cross-region awareness, marketing and promotion.

• Strategic definition of future target markets, and mapping these to smooth annual visitation peaks and troughs, and to respond to product / experience gaps.

• Attracting and growing demand in higher yield markets and values-based travellers to identified niches including trails, wellness and road trips.

• Using research and insights to specifically target markets through the development of a demand driven research program.

• Strengthening the positioning of the region as accessible, inclusive and sustainable.

Challenges

• Brand fragmentation across the tourism region.

• Lack of funding for product development and related marketing.

• Geographic span and diversity of the region.

• Managing the potential for competing interests between subregions through sustained investment in coordinated marketing.

• Supporting visitors to understand how to access and tour the region and subregions.

• Demand management — across markets, seasons, and subregions.

CAPABILITY

Growing and strengthening tourism capability across the region’s tourism eco system centres on product development support, targeted capability building programs and improved intra-government coordination and resourcing at a state and local level.

Dedicated in-region product development support is needed, with a focus on strategic product development (aligned with target markets), tourism and trade partnerships, events development and packaging and subregional product development priorities. Targeted capability building programs that respond to identified subregional needs may include:

• Bunbury Geographe: Marketing support and skills development, digital innovation and capability, product and market development.

• Margaret River Region: Digital innovation and capability, product and market development, sustainable tourism practice.

• Southern Forests and Valleys: Digital innovation and capability, product and market development, sustainable tourism practice.

• Great Southern Region: Digital innovation and capability, sustainable tourism practice, product development.

Cross-regional familiarisation programs that raise awareness, improve visitor servicing, and encourage packaging and partnerships across subregions are also needed.

An ongoing focus on strengthening education and employment pathways and highlighting the value and impact of tourism as a career choice is a key priority, together with continuing to identify and respond to challenges related to workforce attraction, retention and general regional workforce capability.

COLLIE RIVER

Opportunities

• Increasing the profile and understanding of the contribution and impact tourism has and the benefits it brings to local economies.

• Enhancing cross regional networking, training and partnerships with a focus on hospitality.

• Capacity building for existing tourism businesses, including Aboriginal-owned businesses.

• Strengthening cross-regional coordination, collaboration and partnerships for key events and iconic experiences.

• Strengthening the business events experience through a better-integrated experience for delegates.

• Greater support for product development — identification, coordination, funding and ongoing support.

• Improved partnerships between industry, state and local government.

• Ensuring digital and mobile infrastructure supports key location activation, allowing businesses and visitors to use enabling technology.

• Fast, sustainable tourism / public transport between the Cities of Bunbury and Busselton through Tuart Forrest National Park that connects the airport and port.

Challenges

• Lack of education, training and employment pathways.

• Supporting and enabling transition for mining, forestry and agriculture towns and communities.

• Defining roles and responsibilities of the tourism supply chain from state and local government to RTO and LTOs.

• Ongoing viability/sustainability of smaller LTOs.

• Lack of funding and government support in product development and capacity building.

• Government and industry silos — barrier to productive partnerships, product packaging and collaboration.

• Targeted and sustainable delivery of training and mentoring — digital capability, visitor servicing, product development, events.

PART 4: STRATEGY & IMPLEMENTATION

PRIORITY PROJECTS

Developing tourism requires a mix of ongoing capability building, support, and significant, game-changing investment. The following projects have been identified through an analysis of stakeholder engagement and desktop research as having a maximum impact on the region to develop its brand, markets and product to maximise yield and improve visitor dispersal.

EXPAND AVIATION NETWORKS, SERVICES & LAND SIDE INFRASTRUCTURE

APPROACH

Continue to progress the expansion and development of the Busselton Margaret River Airport for interstate and international route development and explore opportunities for expansion of the Albany Regional airport.

RATIONALE

Capitalising on the investment in, and increasing demand for the Busselton Margaret River Airport to strengthen the region’s aviation networks and its two airports are essential to maximise cross-region visitation and visitor dispersal.

ACTIONS

• Develop a new Busselton Margaret River Airport Master Plan, including an Airline Aviation Strategy, to identify future route development opportunities and infrastructure requirements to secure first point of entry status.

• Expand the number and frequency of domestic aviation routes into the region and attract international aviation routes into Busselton Margaret River airport.

• Progress implementation of the Albany Airport Master Plan.

• Capitalise on the investment in the Busselton Margaret River Airport and direct flights through product development and marketing initiatives to support visitor dispersal into the broader ASW region.

ACTIVATION OF TRAILS THROUGH SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE & VISITOR FACILITIES

APPROACH

Build on the investment in trails across the ASW region through the delivery of supporting infrastructure, services and experiences.

RATIONALE

The State Government has undertaken significant investment in trails across the ASW region. Supporting infrastructure and services are needed to realise the tourism potential of this investment, and enhance the visitor experience.

ACTIONS

• Grow awareness of the region as a trail destination.

• Progress upgrades and infrastructure improvements to the Cape to Cape Track.

• Develop a business case for the construction of a pedestrian/cycle bridge on the South Coast Highway at Nornalup.

• Build on the investment in Collie through the delivery of infrastructure, products and services, to grow the tourism offer.

• Upgrade/complete the Wadandi Track, linking Busselton and Augusta.

• Develop trail hub infrastructure at the WalpoleNornalup Visitor Centre to support the Valley of the Giants trail network.

GROW & DIVERSIFY THE ACCOMMODATION

OFFERING ACROSS THE REGION

APPROACH

Attract targeted investment in accommodation across the ASW region.

RATIONALE

The need to address gaps in high-quality accommodation through the development of new product has been identified as a priority for all four tourism subregions. Limitations on capacity and accommodation diversity across the region constrains tourism growth opportunities.

ACTIONS

• Explore opportunities for the development of unique accommodation in, and around, locations such as Collie (including the National Trust owned Roundhouse), Valley of the Giants and Lower Great Southern.

• Investigate unique accommodation options along the major trail networks including Cape to Cape Track, Bibbulmun Track and the Munda Biddi Trail.

• Progress the delivery of investor ready development opportunities on state land.

• Develop accommodation prospectuses that showcase identified opportunities for investment.

BUILD & LEVERAGE EVENT OPPORTUNITIES

ACROSS THE

REGION

APPROACH

Build and leverage unique events, which reflect the product offer and experience development pillars of the ASW region.

RATIONALE

Regional events are important as they draw more people to the region adding extra tourism dollars to the local community, attract media attention, which helps with promotion and help position the ASW region as an exciting destination to live and visit.

ACTIONS

• Deliver Pair’d, the new culinary event in the Margaret River Region.

• Develop a signature event for the Great Southern.

• Leverage major sporting events that attract global markets and showcase the region through product packaging.

DEVELOP & SHOWCASE ABORIGINAL TOURISM

APPROACH

Develop initiatives to grow and support commercial sustainability of Aboriginal tourism that reflects the potential for more unique and diverse cultural experiences in the region.

RATIONALE

At the time of preparing this document, there were four Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses in the ASW region. Building capacity within these businesses to support viability, and developing new Aboriginal tourism opportunities is a key focus.

ACTIONS

• Work with existing and new Aboriginal tourism operators to drive awareness and demand for local product including facilitating the inclusion of Aboriginal tourism experiences in mainstream tourism offerings.

• Expand interpretive signage across the region and its national parks to recognise culturally significant sites and traditional place names and create a foundation for education and awareness including connecting places and experiences.

• Significantly elevate the representation of Aboriginal cultural heritage in the region’s marketing and brand activity, ensuring it is consistent and culturally appropriate.

• Implement priority actions from the Jina: WA Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2021-2025 (or future editions) related to the South West/Great Southern, including the Custodians Program.

ASW ACTION PLAN

The ASW TDMP Action Plan has been informed by the subregional priorities developed through industry consultation. The following tables outline actions and projects and the partner agencies/stakeholders responsible.

1. REJUVENATE EXISTING AND DEVELOP NEW TOURISM PRODUCT AND ATTRACTIONS

INITIATIVE PARTNERS

ADDRESSING SUPPLY ISSUES

Investigate and deliver new tourism assets that encourage increased length of stay and regional dispersal, and align with consumer demand and product pillars for each subregion.

TWA, DBCA

TWA, ASW, GSDC, SWDC, National Trust, LGAs

ASW, TWA

JTSI, TWA, SWDC

RDCs, ASW, TWA

LGA, ASW

SWDC, ASW

GSDC, ASW, TWA

WA Museum, GSDC, City of Albany

Explore opportunities for the development of experiences in or adjacent to national parks and trail networks. Throughout region

Identify strategic opportunities to strengthen existing and develop new arts, culture and heritage tourism experiences and products, in partnership with local creative stakeholders and community.

Utilise the ASW Wellness Tourism Strategy to diversify and grow experience offerings in this niche area.

Seek to diversify the experience offering by investigating product development opportunities in other niche areas.

Through the Native Forest Transition Plan, work with local businesses and communities that are seeking to diversify into tourism/hospitality experiences.

Support the development of aquaculture enterprises into an agritourism assets for the region.

Leverage LGA investment to develop a calendar of night time businesses, attractions, and experiences to enhance the evening economy.

Develop an arts, culture and heritage strategy for the South West region, incorporating opportunities to strengthen the development of cultural tourism programs, products and events.

Deliver cohesive, high quality and authentic wine and produce experiences throughout the region, considering the development of commercial bookable product.

Enhance the Museum of the Great Southern to deliver new Aboriginal cultural experiences that showcase regional stories, native bush and medicine gardens and artwork, in readiness for the Bicentenary of colonisation in 2026.

DBCA, MRBTA, TWA, SWDC Deliver the Conserving the Capes initiative and upgrades/improvements to the Leeuwin - Naturaliste National Park (including the ongoing Cape to Cape Track upgrades).

Margaret River Region

Margaret River Region

South West

Great Southern

INITIATIVE PARTNERS ACTION SUBREGION

DBCA, TWA, ASW, LTOs Industry, LGAs

Complete trails networks in line with master plans and deliver wrap around facilities and services to activate and realise tourism potential, including:

• Town access and connection paths

• Visitor facilities and amenities

• Accommodation products

• Product development and packaging

• Marketing and promotion.

DBCA Coordinate resources for the management, maintenance and revitalisation / regeneration of trails networks.

LGAs, DBCA, LTOs, ASW, TWA Rejuvenate visitor attractions within the region by supporting the development of commercial product opportunities — with a focus on Busselton Jetty, Wellington National Park, Valley of the Giants: Tree Top Walk, National Anzac Centre, Margaret River Caves and the region’s lighthouses, and progress upgrades to the Gloucester/Bicentennial Trees to allow climbing.

TWA, DBCA, ASW, GSDC, SWDC, LGAs

Throughout region

Invest in national park infrastructure to ensure quality and sustainable visitor experiences and conserve park values.

Progress opportunities to facilitate private sector investment and accelerate product delivery through:

• Investment in feasibility assessments/business cases

• Coordinated state and local government and TO approvals.

SWDC, LGAs, LTOs, WAITOC, TWA Support the delivery of new products and experiences such as:

• Trails tours — including full service walking, mountain biking, gravel biking and horse-riding trails

• Aboriginal cultural tours

• Wine, food and produce experiences

• Arts, cultural and heritage activities

• Facilities and amenities — including pop up / seasonal activities

• Recreation and leisure activities / experiences

• Wildflower experiences (seasonal).

LGAs, DLGSC Ensure town centre improvements and community assets (sport, culture and recreation assets) are multifunctional and incorporate visitor amenities.

DBCA Investigate and provide for quality visitor infrastructure, with a particular focus on Wellington, Leeuwin Naturaliste, Gloucester, D’Entrecasteaux, Mount Frankland, Porongurup, Stirling Range, Torndirrup, West Cape Howe, Fitzgerald River, Walpole-Nornalup and Warren national parks.

Enhance visitor experiences and understanding of natural and cultural values in national parks through improvements to interpretive information and experiences.

Throughout region

INITIATIVE PARTNERS ACTION SUBREGION

ADDRESSING DEMAND ISSUES

Package products and experiences to encourage visitor dispersal.

ASW, LTOs, Industry Focus on cross-regional product packaging aligned with product pillars, that:

• Bundle four to six iconic, ‘must-do’ experiences in key locations across the region, such as arts, culture and heritage experiences, wellness, adventure and trails

• Bundle subregional opportunities to reinforce the unique positioning of each, such as farm to plate experiences in Southern Forests and Valleys.

Throughout region

Create support structures for industry capability and capacity improvements.

WA Museum, DPIRD, DLGSCI, RCO

Continue to provide enhancements to, and maintenance of visitwanderland.com.au to promote visitor dispersal and increase visibility of the regions’ unique collection of heritage, art and cultural offerings.

ASW, LTOs, Trails WA, LGAs, TWA Through strategic product marketing, define and differentiate available trails product and experiences in trails towns.

ASW, GSDC, LTOs, TWA In alignment with the delivery of the Great Southern Tourism and Trade Initiative, raise awareness of the Great Southern as an authentic wine and produce region and package products that will encourage dispersal throughout the region, including the delivery of wayfinding signage connecting the five Great Southern Wine Regions.

ADDRESSING CAPABILITY ISSUES

DBCA

TWA, ASW

GSDC

DBCA, TWA, LTOs, Private sector

Support expansion of the DBCA Accessible Parks WA partnership initiative to facilitate access to the natural environment, for people with disabilities.

Provide mentoring and support for strategic experience development including product identification, development and growth, and capacity building for operators, in line with identified priority areas.

Throughout region

Deliver the Great Southern Tourism and Trade Initiative to elevate the wine and produce experience. Great Southern

Elevate recognition and resourcing of tourism functions within the region’s national parks, including:

• Fund recurrent and coordinated tourism planning, management and operational resources in national parks particularly in high demand areas (Leeuwin Naturaliste) to ensure longevity of experiences and prevent impacts of over-tourism

• Explore and establish private sector partnerships to deliver appropriate facilities, assets and services

• Define and de-risk precincts / sites capable of supporting tourism development (tours and accommodation)

• Prioritise investment in visitor facilities and amenities: access, ablutions, camping and day use facilities, interpretive signage, trails and pathways.

Throughout region

Great Southern

2. DEVELOP AND SHOWCASE ABORIGINAL TOURISM

INITIATIVE

PARTNERS

Deliver new Aboriginal tourism products. SWALSC, TOs, WAITOC, GSDC, SWDC

TOs, LGAs, WAITOC

ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING SUPPLY ISSUES

Investigate the potential to revitalise former Aboriginal missions to offer cultural tourism experiences, and link these through the region. Throughout region

In alignment with the WA Aboriginal Cultural Centre, investigate the feasibility of developing Aboriginal cultural centres and assets in Bunbury, Gnowangerup, Kojonup, Albany, and Manjimup.

Promote the new Boola Bidi Dreaming Centre in Harvey as a hub to showcase Noongar culture to visitors.

MRWA, DBCA, LGAs, TOs

TWA, ASW, LGAs, LTOs, WAITOC

Expand interpretive signage across the region and in national parks that recognises culturally significant sites and traditional place names, to create the foundation for education and awareness including connecting places and experiences.

Ensure engagement, inclusion and representation of Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses in mainstream tourism businesses and special events planning and programming.

TWA, WAITOC, GSDC, SWDC, TOs Support establishment of new Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses.

In collaboration with Traditional Owners (TOs), explore the opportunity to develop a new Aboriginal cultural event/festival or facilitate inclusion of cultural activities into existing events, to elevate and raise awareness of the unique stories of the region.

TWA, WAITOC Implement priority actions from the Jina: WA Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2021-2025 (or future editions) related to South West/Great Southern, including the Custodians Program.

ADDRESSING DEMAND ISSUES

Deliver targeted marketing and communications for Aboriginal tourism. ASW, TWA, LTOs, WAITOC, LGAs

Significantly elevate the representation of Aboriginal cultural heritage in the region’s marketing and brand activity, ensuring it is consistent and culturally appropriate, through:

• The regional brand framework and strategy

• ASW RTO website enhancements with a focus on authentic content and imagery

• Proactive promotion of Noongar six seasons via an events calendar and follow the seasons tour / trail map promoted via ASW RTO and other LTO, LGA and Tourism Alliance destination websites

• Collaborative partnerships with the region’s LTOs, LGAs and Tourism Alliances

• Social media and campaign marketing

• Acknowledgement of Country in Noongar language on wayfinding and interpretive signage. Throughout region

TWA, ASW, LTOs, WAITOC Continue to raise the profile and awareness of existing Aboriginal tourism operators and products through promotion and communication channels.

INITIATIVE

Increase capability and capacity of Aboriginal tourism industry within the region.

PARTNERS ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING CAPABILITY ISSUES

WAITOC Resource on-Country Aboriginal tourism product and business development support focused on:

• Training/mentoring

• Professional development

• Strategic marketing assistance

• Business operations systems enhancement

• Special projects assistance

• Domestic/international consumer targeting.

TWA, WAITOC, JTSI Through the Jina: WA Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan, co-design an on-Country tourism employment pathways and mentoring program targeted at young Aboriginal people living in the region such as:

• Place-based mobile coffee van to train young people as baristas / hospitality workers

• Traineeships and apprenticeships that enable shadowing / mentoring of management positions

• Re-training and up-skilling to transition out of forestry and mining sectors, into tourism.

ASW, WAITOC, TWA Deliver a culturally appropriate, co-designed and endorsed training and partnership program for nonAboriginal tourism operators and business owners to promote understanding of Aboriginal culture, appropriate sharing of information and access to information and experiences.

TWA, WAITOC Develop initiatives to support the commercial sustainability of Aboriginal tourism products that reflects the unique nature of Aboriginal tourism experiences in the ASW region.

WAITOC, TWA Channel new and existing Aboriginal-owned tourism business into upskilling initiatives.

SWALSC, DBCA, TOs Strengthen and grow partnerships between DBCA and TOs for joint management of land and water assets such as national parks including:

• Specific roles and responsibilities for traditional knowledge holders, knowledge sharing and caring for Country

• Focus on regenerative tourism and sustainable practice

• Potential extension of Ranger programs

• Other initiatives as determined by TOs.

Throughout region

3. STRENGTHEN ACCESS TO AND WITHIN THE REGION

INITIATIVE PARTNERS

ACTIONS

ADDRESSING SUPPLY ISSUES

SUBREGION

Support an increase in selfdrive, charter services and visitor signage infrastructure to encourage visitor dispersal throughout the region.

Drive the sustainable growth in cruise tourism across the region.

LGAs, Industry, DoT Address the shortage of in-region ground transportation options including taxis, 4WD and camper van hire, ride share services and public transport, particularly at night. Throughout region

MRWA, LGAs, ASW, BGTP Support the development of wayfinding and entry and departure signage on the Bunbury Outer Ring Road. Bunbury Geographe

LGAs, MRWA, DBCA, ASW Improve cross-regional wayfinding, entry and departure signage where appropriate, to facilitate navigation and improve visitor understanding and awareness:

• Initial focal points: Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Manjimup, Katanning, Albany.

• Incorporate dual naming with Noongar language place names.

LGA, MRWA, SWDC, GSDC, DBCA Advocate for the development of a pedestrian/cycle bridge on the South Coast Highway at Nornalup to improve access to the Valley of the Giants trails.

MRWA, DBCA Ensure safe access to national park destinations through strategic investment in roads to key destinations, with a particular focus on highly visited parks.

TWA, LTOs, LGAs

Through the Western Australian Cruise Tourism Strategic Plan 2023-2033, consider and support:

• Market definition and demand drivers to inform market positioning and activity in relevant subregions

• Coordinated itinerary planning, scheduling and journey mapping with cruise operators and port authorities

• Improved definition of the ASW region’s port and shipping lane infrastructure and capacity in context of future growth

• Improved landside experiences, itineraries for “shore excursions” and easier access and transfers.

• Improved diversity of visitor experience in cruise locations, including the quality of retail, food and beverage, entertainment and cultural experiences.

TWA, DoT, LGAs, SPA, JTSI Support the development of coastal and marine tourism facilities planning including:

• Activate land side uses and facilities at Casuarina Boat Harbour, Port Geographe, Albany, Windy Harbour and local boat ramps / facilities.

• Expand and enhance berthing and landside infrastructure to support cruise shipping and superyachts in Bunbury, Busselton and Albany.

Throughout region

Southern Forests and Valleys and Great Southern

Throughout region

Margaret River Region, Great Southern and Bunbury Geographe

INITIATIVE PARTNERS

Work with key stakeholders to deliver long-term international and national scheduled airline services to the ASW region to support leisure visitation.

ACTIONS

RDCs, DoT, TWA, LGAs, ASW Expand aviation networks, services and infrastructure at Busselton Margaret River and Albany airports:

• Deliver a Busselton Margaret River Airport Master Plan including an Airline Aviation Strategy, to identify future route development, opportunities and infrastructure requirements to secure first point of entry status.

• Progress implementation of the Albany Airport Master Plan.

• Grow the number and frequency of domestic aviation routes into Busselton Margaret River Airport and Albany Airport.

• Expand aviation routes to encourage cross-regional visitor dispersal.

SWDC, DoT, TWA, LGAs In alignment with expansion of air / land side infrastructure at Busselton Margaret River Airport, seek to establish international aviation routes direct into the region.

ADDRESSING DEMAND ISSUES

Increase awareness of tourism drive routes to encourage dispersal of visitors.

ASW, LTOs

Develop initiatives to inform visitors on how to access and navigate the region:

• Cross regional itineraries — two, three and five-day experiences.

• Information on access, connectivity, and road safety.

• Promote services, attractions and facilities targeted at different interests.

SUBREGION

Grow demand in target markets. ASW, TWA

Build demand in key visitor markets that are a focus for interstate and international airline attraction, utilising domestic segmentation and Tourism Australia’s Future of Demand research to effectively market the region’s strengths.

Margaret River Region

Throughout region

Throughout region

Margaret River Region and Great Southern

KOOMBANA BAY, BUNBURY

4. GROW AND DIVERSIFY THE ACCOMMODATION OFFERS

INITIATIVE PARTNERS ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING SUPPLY ISSUES

Grow the inventory of short stay accommodation in ASW. TWA, DBCA, TOs, LGAs, SWDC, GSDC, Private sector

TWA, DBCA, LGAs, SWDC, GSDC, Private sector

DPLH, LGAs, SWDC, TWA, Private sector, NTWA

Grow the inventory of tourism worker accommodation. SWDC, ASW, LGAs

Support private sector development of unique accommodation in and around national parks. Throughout region

Facilitate private sector investment in tourism accommodation and infrastructure. Focus on addressing specific subregional gaps and priorities:

• Bunbury Geographe: Group, family and budget style, four to five-star and luxury hotels, boutique, selfcontained accommodation

• Margaret River Region: Five-star and luxury hotel / resorts and niche accommodation

• Southern Forests and Valleys: Self-contained and luxury accommodation

• Great Southern Region: Self-contained, niche and experiential, five-star and luxury hotel / resorts

• Throughout region: Within or near national parks.

Investigate opportunities for heritage assets to be reused or adapted into tourism accommodation, including the Collie Roundhouse.

Support the development of tourism worker accommodation and encourage new tourism accommodation developments to incorporate staff accommodation.

ADDRESSING DEMAND ISSUES

Achieve trade readiness for accommodation products. TWA, Austrade, ASW, LTOs, Work with industry to achieve trade-readiness for existing accommodation products not currently operating in the trade distribution space. Work with new accommodation products to achieve trade readiness.

ADDRESSING CAPABILITY ISSUES

Promote greater consideration of tourism in formal planning processes. TWA, LGAs, DPLH, WAPC Advocate for tourism land use planning through existing strategic planning processes, to promote greater consideration of tourism in local and regional planning strategies.

Throughout region

Throughout region

Throughout region

5. BUILD AND LEVERAGE EVENTS TO PROMOTE VISITATION AND DISPERSAL

INITIATIVE PARTNERS ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING SUPPLY ISSUES

Establish an ASW calendar of events.

TWA

TWA, LGAs, ASW, SWDC

Deliver Pair’d, the new homegrown culinary event in the Margaret River Region.

Develop and implement a regional events framework and attraction strategy aligned with product pillars. Use this to guide growth and sustainability of events and secure multi-year funding. The strategy should include:

• Event segmentation and tiers: Major events e.g. Margaret River Pro; Medium to large regional events e.g. Ironman WA, Cinefest Oz, Cape to Cape MTB, Seven Gravel Race Nannup; Smaller regional events e.g. Albany Maritime Festival, Nannup Flower and Garden Festival, Bunbury Fringe, Lost and Found.

• Development of new concepts that respond to identified gaps including:

– Food, wine and local produce (including trade partnerships and export markets)

– Adventure trails

– Arts, culture and heritage

– Winter and shoulder seasons

– Aboriginal culture and heritage

– Concepts which combine existing events — for example a film and surfing event.

Margaret River Region

Throughout region

Increase supply of infrastructure to meet the requirements for business event travel.

TWA, LGAs

TWA, GSDC, ASW

LGAs, TWA, SWDC

Focus event funding to respond to identified gaps.

Explore the opportunity to develop a signature event for the Great Southern. Great Southern

Once complete, leverage the new Saltwater Busselton performing arts and convention centre to grow the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) market.

Margaret River Region

INITIATIVE PARTNERS ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING DEMAND ISSUES

Strengthen the communication and packaging of the events sector.

TWA, ASW, RDCs, LTOs Identify opportunities to strengthen and grow existing arts, cultural and heritage events and develop a schedule to promote across the region.

ASW, LTOs, BEP Partner with event organisers, including business events, and provide support in identifying, developing and implementing product packaging options and models, suited to specific markets and events.

TWA, Industry Optimise event branding to align with Tourism WA initiatives, where feasible.

Throughout region

Assess MICE market opportunities for the region.

ASW, BEP, LGAs Actively prospect local business event opportunities through relevant sources, taking advantage of opportunities to access business event calendars.

ADDRESSING CAPABILITY ISSUES

Develop industry capability to maximise event opportunities.

TWA, BEP, LGAs, ASW Conduct a baseline review of local capacities, suitable accommodation, and industry suppliers to service event logistics.

TWA, ASW, Event organisers, LTOs

Develop a program focused on building capability, capacity, product development, networking and coordination across the region’s events sector. This should incorporate tourism operator support to enable improved event servicing and leveraging.

Throughout region

Throughout region

BUSSELTON JETTY | UNDALUP

6. STRENGTHEN THE ASW REGIONAL BRAND AND ASSETS TO SUPPORT STRATEGIC MARKETING ACROSS THE REGION

INITIATIVE

Utilise Tourism WA’s Walking On A Dream brand strategy and toolkits to devise a clear brand direction and strengthen marketing initiatives.

PARTNERS ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING DEMAND ISSUES

ASW, TWA

ASW, TWA

Finalise and promote an ASW Brand and Style Guide and relevant toolkits, which utilises and clearly aligns to Tourism WA’s global brand strategy and toolkits, to provide:

• Industry and stakeholders greater understanding of the region’s brand and a collaborative and consistent approach to branding

• An opportunity to leverage the state tourism brand and benefit from brand equity, while also providing regional positioning and differentiation

• Definition of USPs at regional level, which includes significant and relevant research on new demand for travel that aligns with the region.

Develop key regional marketing initiatives including:

• A region-wide niche marketing strategy to include wellness and other identified niche markets

• Region-wide trails marketing program to position the region as a trail destination

• The South West Edge as a cross regional product marketed as an iconic drive for the state.

Throughout region

Improve digital marketing infrastructure in line with consumer expectations.

ASW

ASW, TWA, LGA

ASW, LTOs, LGAs, MRWA

Formalise the region’s key target markets and segments in line with the Tourism WA Domestic Segmentation Framework, to enable insights-driven marketing, product development and demand management in areas including:

• Trails and associated tours

• Wellness tourism

• Aboriginal culture

• Niche food and wine (including fine wine) experiences

• Arts, culture and heritage and cultural tourism.

Strengthen marketing of emerging destinations, e.g. Albany and surrounds. Great Southern

Increase investment in the ASW region destination website and associated infrastructure to support digital marketing:

• Align with the recommended brand framework and five product pillars

• Reflection of the subregions and their USPs

• Evolve content and imagery to align with product pillars, and represent the depth and diversity of the region

• A focus on wayfinding signage, itineraries and visitor education on how to access and navigate the region.

Throughout region

INITIATIVE PARTNERS

ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING CAPABILITY ISSUES

Develop collaborative marketing with the subregional tourism bodies to focus marketing and trade activity on identified target markets.

ASW, LGAs, LTOs, Tourism Alliances

Strengthen the collaborative approach to marketing planning and delivery, focusing campaign activity on identified markets and subregional differentiations to:

• Strengthen cross regional marketing efficiency and effectiveness

• Facilitate visitor dispersal and off-peak demand

• Highlight diversity of product and experiences across the subregions.

Throughout region

TWA, ASW, LTOs

Continue to undertake intra-region industry familiarisations to establish relationships, share experiences, and enable cross packaging and promotion.

WALPOLE

7. STRENGTHEN INDUSTRY CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM ACROSS THE REGION

INITIATIVE PARTNERS ACTIONS SUBREGION

ADDRESSING DEMAND ISSUES

Maximise awareness of tourism and hospitality as employment options.

TWA, ASW, LGAs, LTOs, SWDC, GSDC

TWA, ASW, LGAs, LTOs, SWDC, GSDC

Develop targeted initiatives and information for local communities and stakeholders to raise the visibility and understanding of the value and impact tourism has in local economies.

Raise awareness of the WA Jobs website.

ADDRESSING CAPABILITY ISSUES

Implement Tourism WA workforce development strategies. TWA, DTWD Collaborate with industry and tourism groups to support and facilitate training and development opportunities across the region to increase the pool of tourism workers:

• Seek a closer connection to the regional workforce through tourism and hospitality job portals, programs, incentives and campaigns

• Support industry involvement in raising the profile of career opportunities in tourism

• Develop recognised pathways to support career opportunities in tourism

• Position Aboriginal tourism as a significant employment avenue.

Encourage tourism providers to participate in eco and sustainable practices.

TCWA, ASW, TWA, LTOs

Increase the number of eco-certified businesses in the ASW region to solidify the environmental sustainability of the region:

• Educate the industry on the increasing importance that consumers place on a destination’s approach to the sustainability of their tourism offer

• Encourage operators already engaging in sustainable practice to actively promote this in communications and marketing

• Create awareness of the National Sustainability Framework, and support existing operators to consider engaging with an ecotourism accreditation program.

Throughout region

Throughout region

Expand industry knowledge of the importance of accessibility and inclusion.

Grow awareness and market presence of high quality tourism products.

TCWA, ASW, LTOs

TCWA, TWA

TWA, TCWA

TWA, Industry

Explore alternative delivery models, such as online, and more in-region access to courses and content responding to identified gaps:

• Sustainable tourism practice and accreditation

• Digital innovation and capability

• Marketing, business administration and HR

• Product and market development.

Increase the number of tourism businesses with accessible tourism accreditation:

• Educate the industry on the increasing importance of accessible and inclusive tourism

• Provide resources to assist industry to meet the needs of accessible markets.

Promote high quality visitor experiences, and encourage enhancements in business quality/sustainability through the Dream Collective recognition program.

Assist trade ready operators to establish in-market relationships, attend trade events and strengthen WA’s market presence through the Trade Ready Introduction Program (TRIP).

Throughout region

Throughout region

Throughout region