Western Australia is ramping up efforts to strengthen its international visitor markets, with India and China at the center of the state’s tourism expansion plans.
Tourism Western Australia Managing Director Anneke Brown said the state is pursuing an ambitious strategy to grow the visitor economy to A$25 billion ($16 billion) annually by 2033, supported by new direct aviation links and increased international engagement.
“Western Australia’s top international visitor markets are China and the UK,” Brown told Routes ahead of Routes Asia 2025, taking place in Perth, Australia. “China is our top market by spend, with 74,000 visitors spending $315 million in Western Australia in the year ending September 2024.”
The recovery of the China market has been supported by the return of direct flights, including China Southern Airlines’ Guangzhou-Perth service and China Eastern Airlines’ seasonal Chinese New Year flights from Shanghai. “We’re also working with aviation partners in China to establish a year-round service,” Brown said.
Meanwhile, the UK continues to dominate in terms of volume, with 114,000 arrivals in the same period, fueled by visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel and boosted by Qantas’ direct London Heathrow-Perth route, one of the carrier’s most popular international services.
However, the fastest-growing market is India, where Western Australia sees significant potential. “India is a priority inbound visitor market, with 37,000 visitors from India traveling to [Western Australia] in year ending September 2024, injecting A$83 million in visitor spend into our state,” Brown said.
“India has leapt to become Western Australia's eighth-largest market for international visitors from 11th-largest in 2019, with the accelerated growth driven by a large Indian community in WA of approximately 61,000 residents, including around 9,600 international students.” Brown confirmed that securing a direct India-Perth route is now the state’s “top international aviation priority.”
Western Australia’s focus on international connectivity comes amid a highly competitive national tourism landscape. Brown said the state’s geographical position as “Australia’s Western Gateway” makes it the natural entry point for travelers from Europe and Southeast Asia. “Western Australia remains the only state in Australia with nonstop connections with continental Europe and the UK, via our direct services with Paris, Rome and London,” Brown said.
“We have secured or relaunched nonstop flights to 20 international destinations over the past couple of years, with new direct flights with major global cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Johannesburg, Manila and Tokyo.”
Brown said this status will be boosted when Perth Airport becomes Qantas’ second-biggest international hub in Australia as part of a multibillion-dollar agreement for a new terminal and runway. PER will invest around A$3 billion in new terminal facilities and a parallel runway as part of a wider A$5 billion investment program that also includes parking, transport infrastructure and a hotel. The upgrade will enable an additional 4.4 million international seats to and from PER.
The aviation push aligns with Western Australia’s broader economic diversification efforts. Tourism is one of the priority sectors under the Western Australia Government’s Diversify WA strategy, which aims to create a more resilient economy. According to the latest Diversify WA 2024 Update, tourism expenditure hit a record A$18.3 billion in 2023-24, with international markets playing a key role.
Brown also noted that while direct air links are under development, Tourism WA is leveraging existing one-stop routes through key Asian hubs. “We’re collaborating with our existing airline partners on marketing campaigns to boost bookings from India, China and other destinations across Asia, via seamless one-stop services to Perth through major hubs like Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore,” she said.
Tourism WA’s international market strategy is a core part of its Western Australia Visitor Economy Strategy 2033 (WAVES 2033), which outlines a vision to elevate the state to world-class destination status. “The strategy also sets an ambitious goal to grow visitor spend in the state to A$25 billion per annum by 2033, and we are well on our way there, with A$17.7 billion in visitor spend achieved in year ending September 2024,” Brown said.
In the near term, Western Australia will leverage its growing international aviation network to promote the state to a global audience during Routes Asia. “Our ambition in hosting Routes Asia is to increase Western Australia’s global connectivity, advance our aviation access and reinforce Perth’s position as Australia’s Western Gateway,” Brown said. “We believe Western Australia is not just another state, it is one of the greatest places on the planet.”
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