Western Australia Eyes India And China To Fuel Tourism Surge

Published on March 25, 2025

Western Australia is intensifying its focus on boosting international tourism, with India and China playing pivotal roles in the state’s growth strategy.

Anneke Brown, Managing Director of Tourism Western Australia, revealed that the state aims to elevate its visitor economy to A$25 billion ($16 billion) per year by 2033. This ambitious goal will be supported by enhanced direct flight connections and greater international outreach.

At the same time, the UK remains the leader in arrival numbers, with 114,000 visitors during the same period. This surge is driven primarily by visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel, further enhanced by Qantas’ direct route between London Heathrow and Perth, one of the airline’s most in-demand international services.

On the other hand, India stands out as the fastest-growing market, presenting considerable opportunities for growth in Western Australia’s tourism sector.

The aviation expansion is in line with Western Australia’s broader economic diversification goals. Tourism has been identified as a key sector in the Western Australia Government’s Diversify WA strategy, which seeks to build a more resilient economy. The most recent Diversify WA 2024 Update highlights that tourism spending reached a historic A$18.3 billion in 2023-24, with international markets contributing significantly to this growth.