WAITOC, in partnership with Breakaway Tourism has developed the Aboriginal Tourism Academy (ATA).
The ATA is a customised program for tourism business development and professional development for staff. It aims to meet the needs of new and existing Aboriginal tourism operators across Western Australia, including training/skilling, strategic marketing assistance, product/service development, and mentoring.
This follows from the success of previous programs where WAITOC partnered with The City of Perth.
WAITOC encourages all interested individuals, businesses and organisations to work together to help grow Western Australia's unique Aboriginal cultural tourism industry. Through committed partnerships, all stakeholders will benefit and communities in our state will begin to prosper.
Learn more about partnering with WAITOC by downloading the Local Government Prospectus: WAITOC Partnership Packages 2020

There is significant government investment in trails tourism currently underway across the State.
 
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) is working closely with Parks and Wildlife and Trails WA to deliver a Trail Town accreditation program in targeted communities interested in trails tourism.
The towns of Collie and Dwellingup are well on their way to becoming recognised Trail Towns and are already “must do” locations, particularly for mountain bike and hiking enthusiasts.

In addition, the Great Southern Centre for Outdoor Recreation Excellence Regional Trails Master Plan was released on 18 September.
The Master Plan focuses on a range of trail experiences suited to different user groups, including user needs for trail-related products and services, across the Great Southern.
It focuses on active leisure trails which involve an outdoor recreation element. This includes terrestrial trails (walking/hiking, trail running, cycling, mountain biking, and adventure bike riding) as well as aquatic trails (paddling a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard, and snorkeling/diving). It includes a drive trail which link together a series of ‘active nodes’, as well as heritage and cultural trails.
For a comprehensive list of the State’s trails network, visit Trails WA
 
The department will be hosting a Trails Forum in Dwellingup on Friday 20 November 2020.
This will provide an opportunity for the trails sector to network and learn more about trail developments across the State including outcomes from the WA Hiking Strategy, Trail Towns progress and best practices in trail planning.

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