WA wins Chinese travel award

Western Australia has been voted the Best New Destination of the Year by more than 4.2 million readers of China's Travel Weekly tourism trade publication.

The announcement was made at the 2011 China Travel & Meetings Industry Awards in Beijing on Tuesday night.

Tourism Minister Kim Hames said the award was fantastic news for WA's tourism industry, especially with China Southern Airlines' direct flights between Perth and China due to start in just over two months.

"Our tourism links to China have been strengthened this year by the participation of Chinese basketball teams in the July YouYi Games event and the Broome invitational in coming weeks," Dr Hames said.

"The award reflects a growing awareness in China of the many extraordinary destinations and experiences this State has to offer."

WA was chosen as one of the top two best new destinations in the world by the selection panel and then went head-to-head with Dubai before winning in an online poll.

"It's a remarkable achievement considering we are still ramping up our new marketing campaign in China and our co-operative marketing with China Southern Airlines is only just starting," the Minister said.

"This award recognises the tremendous work Tourism WA's international marketing team and China office is doing in conjunction with our trade partners and Tourism Australia to promote WA in the world's biggest tourism market."

China Southern's direct service between Beijing, Guangzhou and Perth begins on November 8, initially with three services a week.  On September 12, the Minister will lead a tourism industry delegation to China to promote WA to outbound travel agents.

In the year ending March 2011, WA received 15,200 Chinese visitors, an increase of 36 per cent on the previous 12 months.  But the State currently only receives just over three per cent of all Chinese visitors to Australia.

"Our aim is to lift our share to 10 per cent, and the introduction of direct flights and WA's growing profile in China, as reflected by this award, will greatly assist us to achieve that goal," Dr Hames said.

Minister's office - 9222 8788