UK Joins Global Push to Lift WA Visitor Spend Past $19bn

Western Australia is banking on a powerful mix of aviation growth, strategic marketing and a resurgent United Kingdom market alongside China, India, France, Japan and New Zealand to push total visitor spending past 19 billion USD in 2025, reinforcing the state’s status as one of Australia’s strongest post‑pandemic tourism performers.

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Record Visitor Economy Sets the Stage for 2025 Target

Publicly available figures show that Western Australia’s visitor economy reached a record of about 18.3 billion Australian dollars in total tourism spend in the 2023–24 financial year, up sharply on pre‑pandemic levels and already ahead of earlier recovery projections. Tourism Research Australia data and state reporting indicate that this growth has been driven by both domestic travel and a faster than expected rebound in international markets.

Western Australia’s earlier benchmark of 17.9 billion Australian dollars in annual visitor spend, reported for the year ending December 2023, has now been surpassed, providing a higher base for future growth. Analysts following the state’s tourism strategy suggest that extending this trajectory into 2025 would lift the visitor economy well beyond 19 billion US dollars once exchange rates and nominal growth are taken into account.

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s latest forecasts for Australia as a whole point to another record‑breaking year in 2025, with national visitor spending and sector output expected to exceed pre‑COVID benchmarks. Against that national backdrop, Western Australia’s strong recovery and premium positioning in aviation and nature‑based experiences have placed it in a favourable position to attract a larger share of high‑value international travellers.

Western Australia’s long‑term Western Australia Visitor Economy Strategy 2033 targets around 25 billion Australian dollars in annual visitor spend by the early 2030s. Hitting and then surpassing the equivalent of 19 billion US dollars in 2025 is seen by industry observers as a key milestone on that pathway, signalling that the state’s decade‑long growth ambitions remain realistic.

United Kingdom Emerges as a High‑Value Growth Market

Recent international visitor survey results highlight the renewed importance of the United Kingdom as a source of high‑spending travellers for Australia and Western Australia in particular. For the year ending March 2025, the UK ranked among Australia’s top five international markets by arrivals, with around 613,000 trips nationwide and approximately 2.2 billion Australian dollars in spend, up on the previous year. That performance underscores the UK’s role as a mature yet still expanding long‑haul market.

Western Australia has been actively positioning itself to capture a greater share of this demand. Aviation developments have been central to this effort, with Perth now serving as Australia’s only gateway offering nonstop links to both London and continental Europe. Industry commentary notes that these direct routes are reshaping travel patterns for UK visitors, making Perth and Western Australia a more convenient entry point for extended itineraries that combine city stays with regional touring.

Tourism strategists point out that UK travellers typically have longer lengths of stay and higher per‑trip expenditure than many short‑haul markets, especially when trips encompass self‑drive holidays and regional touring in destinations such as the South West, Ningaloo and the Kimberley. This spending profile aligns closely with Western Australia’s focus on dispersing visitors beyond Perth to support regional jobs and small businesses.

With UK outbound travel volumes recovering strongly and consumer confidence improving, forecasts for 2025 suggest further upside for Western Australia. The combination of strong brand awareness, established diaspora links and direct long‑haul connectivity is expected to keep the UK near the top of Western Australia’s high‑value international source markets.

China and India Anchor Western Australia’s Asia Strategy

China and India have emerged as central pillars of Western Australia’s efforts to grow international visitor spend. Nationally, China has reclaimed its position as the leading market by international visitor expenditure, with Tourism Research Australia figures indicating more than 9 billion Australian dollars in Chinese visitor spend across Australia in the year ending March 2025. For Western Australia, China has already returned to the top spot by visitor spend, with recent state data pointing to tens of thousands of Chinese visitors contributing several hundred million Australian dollars.

At the same time, India is regarded as one of the fastest‑growing markets for Australia. International visitor survey data for the year ending March 2025 shows Indian arrivals and spend up strongly year on year, with national expenditure from India now approaching 2 billion Australian dollars. Western Australia has identified India as a priority market through targeted marketing campaigns, trade partnerships and education links aimed at encouraging repeat visitation and longer stays among Indian travellers.

Industry analysis indicates that visitors from China and India are particularly valuable for Western Australia’s long‑term strategy because they combine rising middle‑class demand with strong interest in nature, wildlife, self‑drive holidays and study‑related travel. These segments are more likely to travel outside peak seasons and to explore beyond gateway cities, bolstering visitor spend in regional communities.

The state’s forecast to lift its visitor economy towards 25 billion Australian dollars by 2033 is closely tied to sustained growth from China and India. If current trends in air capacity and traveller demand continue, observers suggest that these two markets alone could account for a significant share of the incremental spend required to push Western Australia’s total visitor expenditure beyond 19 billion US dollars in 2025 and well beyond that in subsequent years.

France, Japan and New Zealand Add Diversity and Stability

Beyond the major Asian powerhouses and the United Kingdom, Western Australia is also drawing growing visitor spend from France, Japan and New Zealand. National tourism forecasts show that France is one of Europe’s most resilient long‑haul markets to Australia, with French travellers typically seeking extended itineraries that combine cultural experiences with coastal and nature‑based travel. For Western Australia, the introduction and expansion of direct services to European hubs has improved access for French visitors connecting via London, Rome and Paris.

Japan, which has been rebuilding its outbound travel market following a slower initial restart after the pandemic, is now seeing a clear resurgence in demand for long‑haul travel. International tourism outlooks describe Japan as one of the world’s largest travel and tourism economies by total contribution to GDP, with outbound travel expected to rise in step with a strengthening domestic economy. Western Australia’s proximity to Japan, combined with growing air capacity and targeted marketing, is helping to convert this renewed interest into higher visitor spend.

New Zealand remains Australia’s largest single source of international visitors and a critical stabilising market for Western Australia. While New Zealand travellers do not always spend as much per trip as some long‑haul visitors, their frequency of travel and preference for outdoor, self‑drive and family holidays matches well with Western Australia’s core offerings. Tourism Research Australia data confirms that New Zealand has consistently delivered more than a million trips to Australia annually, with spending in the billions of Australian dollars.

Together, France, Japan and New Zealand provide Western Australia with a diversified international portfolio that balances high‑growth emerging markets with more mature, steady performers. This mix reduces reliance on any single country and supports more predictable growth in visitor expenditure across economic cycles and currency shifts.

Air Connectivity and Experience Investment Underpin Growth

Aviation connectivity is widely regarded as one of the most important levers behind Western Australia’s visitor spend ambitions for 2025. Perth’s position as a hub for nonstop flights to London and several key Asian cities, coupled with connections into the Middle East and Europe, has transformed the state into a more accessible gateway for travellers from the UK, continental Europe, China, India, Japan and New Zealand.

Industry reports highlight that increases in international seat capacity are closely correlated with higher visitor arrivals and spending. In Western Australia’s case, new and expanded routes from Asia and Europe have supported record occupancy levels in Perth’s hotel market and improved demand across regional accommodation providers. Additional capacity expected through 2025 is likely to further lift average spend as more high‑yield leisure and business events visitors arrive.

Alongside aviation, Western Australia has emphasised investment in experiences and infrastructure to sustain higher levels of spend. Government strategy documents and tourism analyses point to a focus on Aboriginal tourism, national parks, coastal precincts, food and wine regions, and major events ranging from international sporting fixtures to arts festivals. These offerings are designed to encourage longer stays and greater dispersal, both of which are key drivers of visitor expenditure.

With global travel demand rebounding and economic impact forecasts pointing to strong growth in Australia’s tourism sector in 2025, Western Australia’s combination of expanded air links, targeted market strategies and experience‑led investment positions the state to join the global surge led by the United Kingdom, China, India, France, Japan and New Zealand, and to push its visitor economy beyond the symbolic 19 billion US dollar mark in the year ahead.