Social media experiences should be built into food, marine and wildlife tourism activities offered to Asian visitors in order to boost the number of tourists to the South West, new research by Curtin Economics Centre, South West Development Commission and Australia’s South West has found.
South West for Asia: Promoting tourism product development in Australia’s South West tourism region for Asian markets examined the experiences and social media needs of Asian visitors as a critical growth market for WA’s tourism sector.
Lead author Dr Michael Volgger, from Curtin University’s School of Marketing, said the research found most Asian visitors were attracted to the South-West’s blue skies and crystal clear waters, but many potential visitors required a greater understanding of the region’s overall experiences.
“There is a real need to sharpen our focus on promoting the uniqueness of Australia’s South West to further increase awareness of the region’s key locations in Asian markets,” Dr Volgger said.
Co-author Associate Professor Christof Pforr said China was the main driver of Asian tourists to Australia with 1.25 million visitors last year.
“The research found that the primary motivation for Asian visitors wanting to visit Australia’s South West was the clean environment, blue skies, beaches, food, scenery and the overall outdoor experience,” Associate Professor Pforr said.
“The key attractions Asian visitors identified included the Leeuwin Lighthouse, Busselton Jetty, Margaret River Chocolate Factory, wineries, caves, Margaret River beaches and the town centre, the Tree Top Walk, Greens Pool in Denmark and The Gap in Albany.”
SWDC CEO Rebecca Ball said she was excited by the opportunities identified in the report to increase visitation from our key tourism markets in Asia.
“We have already met with tourism industry leaders to discuss where we should focus our future tourism development and marketing activities,” Ms Ball said.
“We will be working further to capitalise on the opportunities that have been highlighted in this report, complementing the efforts of the wider State Government to target the high growth Asian markets.
“By teaming up to offer tailored products and services that appeal to visitors from different backgrounds, not only will the South West benefit, but visitors will also enjoy a more fulfilling experience.”
Catrin Allsop, Australia’s South West CEO, said that while the region was fortunate to have many of the key experiences that Asian visitors are motivated to travel for, crafting bespoke experiences and additional activities would seek to boost visitation from these markets.
“The report provides the tourism industry with clear recommendations to implement over the short to medium term to achieve further visitor growth by promoting and servicing the visitor in a more tailor-made way,” Ms Allsop said.
Dr Volgger said the tourism sector must incorporate a social media component into tourism activities and enlist the support of Asian social media influencers, as well as expanding free wifi services and offering direct flights from Asia.
He said Asian visitors were generally seeking iconic tourism experiences that centred on highlighting the local food, wine and coastal views on offer.
“Many Asian visitors are motivated to visit a location based on word-of-mouth and a strong social media influence, so it is important that attractions in Australia’s South West become more iconic by combining the unique features of the region with building popular social media moments into the activities on offer,” Dr Volgger said.
Associate Professor Pforr added: “In order to compete on the world stage, the region’s tourism providers would benefit from direct flight access from key Asian tourism markets to Perth and potentially Busselton Airport and a greater offering of free wifi services at key locations to offer a better digital service.
“We found it was also important to consider the support providers can give visitors to make them feel more at home in the form of multi-language resources and Asian food options.”
