Tourism Western Australia: China outranks UK for first time

Today's International Visitor Survey (IVS) released by Tourism Research Australia shows 57,000 Chinese people visited WA in the year ending (YE) September 2017 and spent $272 million.

During the same period, WA welcomed 143,000 visitors from the UK who spent $257 million during their stay.

Overall spend by international visitors was slightly down (-0.4 per cent) on the same period last year. However, the number of international visitors to WA increased from 921,400 visitors in YE September 2016 to 947,200 visitors in YE September 2017.

The reason that visitor numbers are up, but overall spend is slightly down can be attributed to the type of visitor WA is attracting. We are seeing more leisure visitors and less employment-related visitors, most likely attributable to Current economic conditions.

Of the markets Tourism WA is currently active in, there was strong growth in visitor numbers from USA (up 19.7 per cent), Malaysia (up 12.7 per cent), China (up 17.3 per cent), and Indonesia (up 12.8 per cent), driven by growth from the leisure sector, which is made up of the holiday and visiting friends and relatives segments.

However, notable declines were seen in the number of visitors from New Zealand (down 13.7 per cent) and the UK (down 4.5 per cent).

WA also experienced a drop in the number of visitor nights in the YE September 2017, down 5.1 per cent to 27.3 million.

The figures are measured in five segments - holiday; visiting friends and relatives (VFR); business; education; and other (includes those visiting for employment and 'in transit' visitors).

The holiday segment, which is influenced by Tourism WA's marketing activities, saw a 3.2 per cent increase in visitors to 465,700.

Working holidaymakers are included in the holiday category and declined by 25.4 per cent or by 10,400 fewer visitors.

WA was the only State, with the exception of South Australia (-0.8 per cent), to see a decline in working holiday makers, suggesting WA's economic climate means there are less opportunities available for working holiday makers here compared to other states.

The VFR segment was up by 2.5 per cent to 403,100 visitors but behind the national growth of 7.2 per cent.

Growth in international visitor numbers was seen in the education segment up 7.6 per cent to 49,200 visitors but this was lower than the average national growth of 14.4 per cent.

The business segment remained stable with 0.8 per cent growth to 101,100 visitors.