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.

Western Australian tourism company, Prendiville Group has purchased the former Fremantle Technical College.
​Plans include redeveloping part of the 2,400 square metre site to house a contemporary centre of excellence for hospitality management, which the Prendiville Group is seeking to partner with various institutions, to support hotels across the State, and create high-quality tourist experiences.
Short-term activation of the site will include opening a new alfresco food and beverage offering, with future potential for a hotel or student accommodation facility to front Norfolk Lane.
The sale will ensure that the State heritage-listed buildings, which are currently underutilised, will be restored and activated, making a positive contribution to the broader revitalisation of the Fremantle city centre.
Read the full ministerial media statement

The state government has made several announcements recently related to projects in the South West, including a $4.4 million investment into tourism initiatives in Collie. Funding will go towards town upgrades, wayfinding, and tourist amenity, as well as business development and new visitor infrastructure at Wellington Dam, which is set become the centrepiece of the $1.5 million Collie Mural Trail.

The Collie Mural Trail will feature a number of smaller murals throughout the Collie township, with work currently underway to finalise the location of murals and appointment of local artists. The lead artist for the Wellington Dam mural has been announced as Australian artist Guido Van Helton.

Other visitor attractions in the region, Lake Kepwari’s recreation hub and the Arklow mountain bike trails, are also due to open this year. Media statements:

• $4.4 million to Collie tourism injection as world-renowned artist selected to paint Wellington Dam
• Adventure awaits with new Collie mountain bike trails

Tourism WA will extend the deadline for applications for the Tourism Business Survival Grant to 4pm Monday July 13, 2020.
Applicants who have already submitted an application can re-open, review, amend and re-submit their application if they would like to.
Full details on the Tourism Business Survival Grant, including the Grant Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions, can be found on Tourism WA’s corporate website.

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.

Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray has released a 10-year WA Hiking Strategy to ensure Western Australians continue to enjoy the great outdoors in a safe and sustainable way.

The strategy is the first of its kind in the country and complements other trail strategies developed over the past 25 years in WA that focus on areas such as mountain biking and horse trails.

It will focus on traditional bushwalking and the emerging growth area of trail running, and will guide industry in the funding and development of hiking and trails for the next decade.

The State Government has allocated $250,000 over the next three years to encourage participation.

The strategy was developed by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), along with significant community input.

As part of the WA Hiking Strategy, a Hiking Implementation Reference Group has been formed to prioritise initiatives and guide its implementation.  Read more

Download:  WA Hiking Strategy: Bushwalking and trail running in Western Australia 2020 - 2030

The SEEK Employment Report for May 2020 shows month-on-month growth in the overall number of jobs advertised. While figures are still down compared to the same time last year (-52.5%), month-on-month growth in jobs advertised is 39.7%.
Hospitality & tourism outperformed all other sectors, with month-on-month job ads in the industry up 138%.
“We are encouraged to see industries which were hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic rebounding at a good pace”, says Kendra Banks, managing director, SEEK ANZ. “Authorities gave businesses the green light to restart their operations, resulting in increased hiring activity. Top jobs in the sector included chefs and cooks and front of house staff.”
SEEK Employment Report, May 2020

Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF), the peak industry group for the tourism, transport, and aviation sectors has developed an app containing relevant and current information for policymakers and interested stakeholders.
Due in part to many people continuing to work from home, and increased reliance on new technology and flexible communication, the app will enable stakeholders to stay informed. It is a single source of research data, content, and contacts. It includes full access to the TTF COVID-19 Travel and Leisure Survey conducted by Newgate Research, which contains a wide range of useful data about the travel intentions and preferred transport modes of over 1,500 Australians.
TTF chief executive Margy Osmond said “We hope this app will be a useful go-to guide, and make sure to keep an eye out for new industry updates as they become available via push notifications as we all ramp up our recovery work.” 
TTF media statement

The Aboriginal Tourism Academy (Round 1), developed by the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC) and Breakaway Tourism, and funded by program partners Indigenous Business Australia, City of Perth and the City of South Perth, is launching in July 2020.
The Aboriginal Tourism Academy is seeking expressions of interest from established ‘Emerging’ (operating less than 2 years), ‘Market Ready’ (operating for more than 2 years), and ‘Export Ready’ (operating over 3 years, contracted to international trade markets) Aboriginal tourism businesses in Western Australia that aspire to access the support, business/professional development, mentoring and industry networks required to operate successfully in the domestic and international Western Australian tourism industry. Applications close Friday, 19th June 2020. For more information, contact:
Rob Taylor, CEO WAITOC at ceo@waitoc.com or P: 0419 921 946
Michelle Sidebottom at michelle@breakawaytourism.com.au or P: 0419 904 691
Application form 

The Department of Training and Workforce Development will cover training costs for more than 3,000 apprentices and trainees who have had their contracts cancelled or suspended. Fees have been scrapped to enable apprentices and trainees to continue their training 'off the job' for up to six months.
More than half of the apprentices and trainees impacted so far are in hospitality, tourism, wholesale and retail services, personal services, finance, property and business services, and building and construction.
Fees will be paid directly to training providers, available from July 1, 2020.
Media statement.