Business events continue to boost WA economy
Tourism Minister Dr Kim Hames congratulates PCB Managing Director Christine Allen and PCB Chairman Ian Laurence AM on exceptional convention sales results for WA.
The Perth Convention Bureau (PCB) is on track to exceed AUD$100 million in the value of business events secured in the 2010-2011 financial year, illustrating the importance of business tourism to the Western Australian (WA) economy.
Tourism Minister, Dr Kim Hames, said that at the half way stage of the year the Bureau had secured conventions and incentive travel groups that were expected to inject more than AUD$52 million in direct delegate expenditure into the local economy over the next five years.
“This performance reflects the importance of the business events sector to the State’s tourism revenues,” Dr Hames said.
“The growth of this sector is particularly welcomed at a time when other areas of tourism right across Australia are being challenged by factors such as the strong Australian dollar and intense competition from low cost airfares to overseas destinations.”
In the first six months the Bureau has secured 51 national and international conventions and 24 incentive travel groups which are expected to collectively attract more than 27,600 delegates to the State.
PCB European Office representative, Mrs Rethi Scaife, said the Bureau’s half-year sales results had been significantly boosted by the recent successful bid to host the international gas conference LNG18 for Perth in 2016.
“LNG 18 is expected to attract more than 5,000 delegates and deliver a $10 million plus boost for the economy. This is a huge international win for WA and will showcase our oil and gas industry, and destination, on a world stage.”
The business events sector has been performing strongly for WA in the past four years and much of this can be attributed to the Bureau’s success in focusing on securing conferences that match the State’s areas of excellence in the medical, mining and resources, education, technology and marine industries.
PCB has also recently launched its new cutting-edge website, www.pcb.com.au, which they hope will be a dynamic digital resource for stakeholders heading to Western Australia.
WAGO Business Tourism Manager, Rethi Scaife, said the new site was an attractive and invaluable tool to promote to the international business tourism community.
“Importantly the new site boasts an easily accessible comprehensive list of client services to assist meeting planners and decision makers based anywhere in the world seeking information on why and how to host a conference or meeting in Perth and Western Australia”.
The new PCB website
