Tourism WA to use $7.2m deal with Qantas to drive flights to Broome

Written on the 15 August 2016

A new marketing deal with Qantas and easing of restrictions on liquor service and cruise ship gambling were announced by the State Government this morning at the WA Tourism Conference.

Premier and Tourism Minister Colin Barnett said gambling on cruise ships would be permitted for intrastate cruises and within 12 nautical miles of the WA coastline.

"Cruise ships are crucial to growing the State's tourism industry. The number of cruise ships coming to Fremantle has more than tripled since 2012-13 when 17 ships brought 49,000 passengers to the port city. In 2015-16, 58 ships berthed at Fremantle with 152,000 passengers," he said.

"Lifting these gaming restrictions will make the State more attractive as a destination for cruise companies, which generate more than $275 million for the local economy."

Gambling will only be allowed on scheduled deep-water cruises as an ancillary service, meaning 'casino cruises' will remain banned.

Mr Barnett also told the conference that liquor control regulations would change to exempt a tourism business from requiring a liquor licence to supply alcohol to visitors in the course of providing a tourism service.

"This has placed restrictions on tourism operators from providing customers with a beer or wine while watching the sunset, or sitting around a campfire at the end of an adventure tour," he said.

The State Government, through Tourism WA, and Qantas have entered into a new $7.2 million marketing deal over three years that is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the State.

The deal includes up to $150,000 a year each from Qantas and Tourism WA towards the development of new opportunities to grow inbound tourism to WA from key visitor markets.

Mr Barnett said the agreement would be used to promote inbound travel to WA from the east coast, Singapore, the United States and New Zealand, and to encourage wider dispersal through flights to Broome, Exmouth and other regional destinations.

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