• Thousands of international and domestic tourists are expected to witness the natural phenomenon when the sun, moon and earth align at 11.27am on April 20, 2023.
•  The State Government has committed $19.3 million for Total Solar Eclipse preparation in addition to mid-year review funding, which brings the total spend to more than $21 million 
• The funding is for Beach, road and telecommunications upgrades for Exmouth region

 
Exmouth has been identified as the best land-based place in the world to view the eclipse, with the Exmouth Peninsula set to experience full darkness.
 
Other locations around WA will see a partial solar eclipse, including Perth witnessing a 70 per cent eclipse, Geraldton about 80 per cent, Carnarvon 95 per cent, Karratha 97 per cent and Coral Bay 99 per cent.
 
While the actual eclipse is relatively short, Tourism WA expects visitors to stay in the region for around five days.
 
Thousands of tourists are expected to visit Ningaloo Coastal Reserve, Ningaloo Marine Park, Montebello Marine Park, Pilbara Inshore Islands, Cape Range National Park, Barrow Island Marine Management Area and the Giralia Station.
 
Read the full media statement here

The latest round of the Regional and Remote Festivals Fund has provided a financial boost to eight regional organisations to deliver arts and cultural activities at regional festivals in Western Australia.
The Regional and Remote Festivals Fund is part of the Regional Arts and Cultural Investment Program (RACIP). It is open to groups, organisations or individual artists, WA regional local government authorities and Aboriginal communities to support the costs associated with delivering arts activity that is part of a festival in regional Western Australia. 
Initiatives receiving grants through the program are:

1. Esperance Community Arts for the Kaddatji Nyungar Boodja Community Sculpture project which will be displayed at the Esperance Wildflower Festival in September 2021;
2. City of Greater Geraldton for the artistic program behind the Big Sky Festival 2021;
3. Shire of Yalgoo’s Open Air Sculpture Gallery, part of the Emu Festival 2021;
4. Shire of Mount Magnet for SciArt & Astro-Photography Activities, drawing on local Indigenous artists and culminating in an Astro-Photography Exhibition;
5. York Arts and Events for presentation of the 7th annual York Festival;
6. Shire of Merredin for War Stories Illumination Projections, part of the inaugural Memorial Festival;
7. Big hART Inc for Songs for Peace 2021, a month-long series of events featuring song writing workshops, community feasting and intimate acoustic performances; and
8. Annette Nykiel for the We Must Get Together Sometime exhibition and related events.

 
Media statement 
More information

As part of the WA Recovery Plan, the McGowan Government has announced a world-class hospitality and tourism training centre will be built at South Metropolitan TAFE's Mandurah campus.
The $9.17 million centre will replace an ageing home economics-style room to enable training of apprentice chefs in the Peel region. The centre will also focus on engaging local secondary students, young people and the long-term unemployed in vocational education and training.
The centre is set to improve the Peel region's capacity to train job-ready, highly skilled chefs, as well as front of house staff, event coordinators and tourism workers.
Read the full ministerial media statement.

In a first for Australia, which has never hosted a senior FIFA tournament, the 2023 women's edition of the FIFA World Cup will bring the world’s best players to our shores.

While the final match schedule is still to be determined, the Australia-New Zealand bid proposed the use of 13 stadiums across 12 cities - with Perth's rectangular stadium set to host a number of matches. The recently announced $32.5 million State Football Centre will be completed in time for the tournament, providing world-class facilities for the world's best players.

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said the media exposure of a World Cup was “invaluable”, with last year’s tournament in France having broadcasted to an estimated one billion people.
“Securing a global spectacle of this kind demonstrates Perth and Western Australia’s ongoing development as vibrant, desirable travel destinations. The benefits from hosting the tournament will flow through to our tourism and hospitality industries and the wider economy, helping to create jobs.” Mr Papalia said. Media statement.

Premier Mark McGowan has announced Phase 4 of WA's COVID-19 recovery will begin on Saturday, June 27. Major sporting and entertainment venues can now open, operating at 50 per cent capacity, and gyms will be able to operate unstaffed. Hospitality venues will not have to maintain a guest register and patrons will not have to be seated. Gathering limits will be determined by the 2sqm rule, which will also apply to staff at venues that hold more than 500 patrons. Phase 5, which will involve the removal of the 2sqm rule, is likely to come into effect on July 18. Phase 6 will see borders reopen, but no date has been announced.
Media statement.

Perth Festival is an annual boost to our State's social well-being, economy and hospitality industry, a new report reveals. This year’s Festival attracted new audiences and extended its vital role in assisting local artists, workers and companies, the Perth Festival 2020 Impact Report shows. Based on extensive Festival participant surveys and financial data, the 2020 report demonstrates the Festival’s significant public value and capacity to help kick-start community confidence in the State's post-pandemic recovery. The Festival's direct economic impact from spending by audiences, artists and the Festival was $30.3 million, up 60% from 2019. This provided flow-on total economic value to the State of $84.7 million. The Festival invested in significant local commissions and international collaborations involving WA artists. More than 75% of the 2,286 participating artists were from WA and the Festival put $10.8 million into the pockets of local artists, workers, suppliers and contractors. Ticket sales were at a record high of almost $6 million, even with the cancellation of the final three weeks of the Lotterywest Films season due to COVID-19. Nearly a quarter (23%) of our 413,076 total attendances were Festival first-timers.  
​Read the full report here.

Seventy-seven events to be hosted in regional WA have been awarded funding via the Regional Events Scheme. With the expected influx of intrastate tourists holidaying within WA, these smaller and emerging events, ranging from a celebration of wildflowers in Esperance, to star-gazing in the Wheatbelt will help support jobs and local economies by attracting visitors to the regions.
Seven events were awarded funding under the Regional Aboriginal Events Scheme, to showcase Aboriginal activities and experiences, and encourage Aboriginal leadership and participation.
Successful funding applicants have been given the option of holding their event at any time up until December 31, 2021.
For a full list of events awarded 2020-21 funding, visit Tourism WA
Media statement