Western Australia’s tourism sector continues to show resilience, with new figures revealing the state is attracting more visitors who are staying longer and spending more.
The latest domestic tourism results from Tourism Research Australia show WA was one of the stronger-performing tourism markets in Australia during the March quarter, recording growth in overnight trips, visitor nights and visitor expenditure at a time when several states experienced declines.
Overnight trips to WA increased by 1.4 per cent compared with the same quarter last year, reaching 2.54 million trips, while visitor nights grew by 1.8 per cent to 9.62 million. These results outperformed national growth, highlighting the continued appeal of Western Australia as a destination.
The biggest opportunity for tourism and hospitality businesses lies in the “quality” of visitors being attracted to the state.
Domestic visitors spent $3.01 billion across WA during the quarter, an increase of 6.3 per cent on the previous year. This growth was more than double the national increase of 2.9 per cent, demonstrating strong visitor demand and a willingness to spend on experiences, accommodation, dining and attractions.
Importantly, WA continues to attract a greater share of visitor spending than its share of visitor numbers. While the state accounted for 8.8 per cent of Australia’s overnight trips, it generated 10.1 per cent of total visitor expenditure. The average overnight visitor spent around $1,187 per trip in WA, compared with the national average of about $1,029.
For operators across the tourism and hospitality industry, these figures reinforce the importance of delivering experiences that encourage visitors to stay longer, explore more and return.
High-value visitors are often seeking memorable experiences, quality service and genuine local connections. This creates opportunities for businesses to showcase the best of WA, whether through exceptional hospitality, unique food and beverage offerings, personalised service or locally focused experiences.
The results also highlight the importance of having skilled and engaged teams. As visitor expectations continue to evolve, businesses that invest in training, customer service and workforce development will be better positioned to capture the benefits of a growing visitor economy.
While tourism performance can vary from quarter to quarter, WA’s latest results provide an encouraging signal for businesses across accommodation, hospitality, attractions and visitor services. The challenge now is to continue building on this momentum by creating experiences that turn first-time visitors into lifelong advocates for Western Australia.
A strong tourism economy benefits the entire sector, and these figures show WA remains well placed to attract visitors who deliver real value to businesses and communities across the state.