Tourism operators urged into gift campaign

Another effort to give WA’s ailing tourism industry a shot in the arm was unveiled this week, brightening the day of some local operators. Tourism WA said its Give the Gift of Travel marketing campaign would encourage West Australians to book tourism experiences or buy vouchers through a dedicated website at www.gift.westernaustralia.com. Among the faces representing the Capes region was Margaret River Discovery Co. boss Sean Blocksidge. “It’s such an awesome idea to gift experiences instead of material crap and get people doing things they’ve never done before,” he told the Times. “I’ve just spent the entire past year listening to West Aussies going ‘Wow, I’ve been coming to Margaret River for decades and had no idea there was so many things we hadn’t done before’.” Mr Blocksidge said prior to the pandemic and WA’s locked borders, Perth tourists generally favoured breweries and wineries, but didn’t take in behind-the-scenes experiences or nature-based activities like canoeing up the Margaret River. Earlier last year, when the pandemic first took hold, he lamented the lack of adventure amongst the Perth crowd. Tourism Minister David Templeman said the campaign would run across social, digital, and print media and tie into Tourism Australia’s national campaign. “This is a great opportunity for people to show their festive spirit this season and support our local tourism operators,” he said. “They’re a meaningful gift that will create lasting memories for those lucky enough to receive them while getting behind our tourism industry.” Social media ads would also target people living interstate in hopes of enticing them to book a WA holiday or buy tourism experiences for friends and family already in WA.