Western Australia’s tourism industry has reached a historic milestone, with new figures showing more than 1.02 million overseas visitors arrived in the state over the past year, surpassing the previous pre-pandemic peak for the first time. The result marks a full recovery, and then some, for a sector that was among the hardest hit by international border closures and travel restrictions, and it has been welcomed as a strong vote of confidence in WA as a long-haul destination.
Tourism operators across the state, from Broome pearl farms to Margaret River wineries and Perth hospitality venues, say the rebound has been building steadily over the past two years but has now decisively pushed past where the industry stood before COVID-19 upended global travel patterns in 2020.
What Is Driving the Record
Industry figures point to a combination of factors behind the surge. Expanded direct international flight routes into Perth have made the state markedly easier to reach from key source markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, cutting out the connecting flights through Sydney or Melbourne that once added time and cost for travellers heading to WA. Alongside improved air access, sustained state government marketing campaigns promoting WA’s natural attractions, from Ningaloo Reef to the Kimberley coastline, appear to be translating into bookings.
A weaker Australian dollar over parts of the period has also made the country more attractive value-for-money for international visitors, while pent-up demand for long-haul travel following years of pandemic restrictions continues to work its way through the system. Tourism WA figures show growth has been spread across multiple source markets rather than concentrated in one or two countries, suggesting the recovery has structural depth rather than resting on a single volatile market.
Economic Ripple Effects Across the State
The record visitor numbers carry significant economic weight for Western Australia beyond the immediate hospitality and tourism sectors. Every international visitor supports spending across accommodation, food and beverage, retail, transport and tour operators, with flow-on effects reaching regional communities that rely heavily on the visitor economy during peak season. Remote and regional operators in areas like the Kimberley and Pilbara, where tourism has traditionally had to compete for attention against the state’s dominant resources sector, are among those reporting the strongest relative gains as international travellers increasingly look beyond Perth and the south-west for authentic outback experiences.
State tourism officials have highlighted the record as validation of recent investment in aviation attraction strategies and destination marketing, arguing that the returns are now being seen in hard visitor and expenditure numbers rather than just anecdotal reports from operators. The figures will likely be used to support the case for continued state government investment in tourism infrastructure and international marketing in future budget cycles.
Challenges Behind the Headline Number
Despite the milestone, operators caution that the recovery has not been entirely smooth. Workforce shortages in hospitality and tourism roles, a challenge that has persisted since the pandemic, continue to constrain some businesses from fully capitalising on rising visitor demand. Accommodation capacity in some popular regional destinations also remains tight during peak periods, occasionally pushing prices higher and creating availability pressure that can frustrate travellers trying to book accommodation in areas like Margaret River and Broome during school holiday periods.
Airfare costs into Western Australia, while improved by expanded route competition, remain a point of ongoing industry advocacy, with tourism bodies continuing to push for further direct international connections to diversify the state’s access beyond its current core markets and reduce reliance on connecting itineraries through eastern capitals.
What Comes Next
With the pre-pandemic benchmark now cleared, attention within the industry is turning to how WA sustains and builds on the momentum. Tourism bodies are pushing for continued investment in aviation attraction, regional accommodation capacity and workforce development to ensure the sector can keep pace with growing demand rather than leaving potential visitors and revenue on the table. For a state economy long defined by mining and resources, a tourism sector setting genuine visitor records offers a welcome, and increasingly significant, source of economic diversification.
A Milestone Worth Watching
Whether the current growth trajectory holds through the next twelve months will depend on a mix of factors outside WA’s direct control, including global airfare trends, currency movements and broader international travel demand. For now, though, the record stands as a clear signal that Western Australia has re-established itself firmly on the international travel map, with tourism operators across the state hoping the momentum carries through into the next peak season and beyond.
Regional Destinations Sharing in the Gains
While Perth remains the primary international gateway, tourism bodies say a growing share of visitors are now extending their trips well beyond the capital, spending several nights in the south-west wine region, the Kimberley or Ningaloo before returning home. That trend matters for regional economies, where tourism spending can support local jobs in towns that have far fewer alternative industries than Perth to fall back on during quieter periods of the year.
Local tourism associations in these regions have been coordinating more closely with Tourism WA on joint marketing campaigns aimed at international travel agents and wholesalers, an approach credited with helping convert broader awareness of Western Australia into actual multi-day regional itineraries rather than short Perth stopovers.
