Support for tourism plan

The Margaret River-Busselton Tourism Association has thrown its support behind Premier and newly minted Tourism Minister Colin Barnett as well as his vision to grow Perth’s tourism appeal.

At a breakfast event in Busselton on Monday attended by about half of the State Cabinet, MRBTA chairman Trent Bartlett acknowledged the Premier’s efforts in pushing “brand Perth” had been met with some criticism, but said the MRBTA understood his vision.

“Perth is the gateway to the regions and having a capital city with strong appeal is absolutely critical,” he said.

“We’re very supportive of that.”

The Premier and ministers visited Busselton this week as part of its regional sitting of State Cabinet.

Tourism was a major focus of the visit, with the Premier hosting a tourism-leaders forum in Yallingup and launching the final stage of the Busselton foreshore redevelopment, which will pave the way for three short-stay accommodation sites.

At Monday’s breakfast, the Premier reiterated his support for the expansion of the Busselton-Margaret River Regional Airport, but pointed to the need for a city with strong tourism appeal.

He said market research showed what locals loved about regional WA was not necessarily indicative of what international visitors sought in a holiday destination.

MRBTA chief executive Pip Close told theTimes the need to bring Perth “of age” was understandable if it was to serve as a gateway to the regions.

Ms Close and Mr Bartlett pointed to a 20 per cent increase in visitor numbers, 38 per cent of which were international, as an indicator of the State Government’s support of the region’s tourism industry.

“The State Government has invested heavily in events in our region, such as Margaret River Gourmet Escape, Sunsmart Ironman Busselton, the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, Cinefest Oz — the list goes on,” Ms Close said.

“And the $51 million airport investment is an indication of their support.”

However, the Premier’s emphasis on Perth has been met with backlash from the Opposition.

WA Labor leader Mark McGowan this week described the Premier’s vision as “misguided and silly”.

“The Premier should be selling all of our State because the attractions of Perth and WA’s regions are complimentary,” he said.