The attractions of Western Australia will be showcased to UK daytime viewers throughout September. The G’day from WA segment is aired on ITV1’s top daytime show This Morning this month The new miniseries follows MasterChef presenter John Torode, to Perth, Rottnest Island and UNESCO World heritage site Ningaloo Reef. Each episode sees Torode on a new experience, followed by a cook with Western Australia ingredients. The mini-series is supported by Tourism Western Australia and Qatar Airways. Tourism Western Australia is inviting travel agent partners to use the TV segments as inspiration to boost down under bookings.

Western Australia is dropping the mask mandate for tour buses. Guests and staff on commercial recreational and tour buses in WA will no longer be required to wear a mask as of Thursday, July 7. It brings WA into line with other states. WA Premier Mark McGowan says it should help boost tourism. "The tourism industry is one of our most important employers and the government is doing everything it can to assist businesses,” McGowan said. Masks will still to be required on public transport

Australia will this week remove final Covd-19 border restrictions. Health Minister Mark Butler said proof of vaccine will no longer be required for international travellers from July 6. “The Chief Medical Officer has advised it is no longer necessary for travellers to declare their vaccine status,” Butler said. “Unvaccinated Australians, as well as certain groups of visa holders, have been able to travel to Australia for some time. “We will continue to act on the medical advice as needed.” Inbound travellers are still be required to wear masks on Australia-bound flights and follow any state rules requiring masks on domestic flights. The requirement for all travellers to complete a passenger declaration form will also end. “Removing these requirements will not only reduce delays in our airports but will encourage more visitors and skilled workers,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said.

This month Tourism Western Australia hosted its first in-person roadshow in the UK since Covid, with 21 operators from across the state meeting UK agents and product managers. The operators travelled more than 400 miles across four days, meeting with almost 150 agents and product managers in Glasgow, Manchester, Preston and London. There were up to 10 places up for grabs on a FAM trip, courtesy of sponsor Singapore Airlines and Tourism Western Australia. As the roadshow arrived in London, so did Western Australia’s Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Roger Cook. The Minister shared the state’s commitment to the UK market. “Throughout 2020 and 2021 we have continued to invest in the UK market and we have ambitious long-term plans to continue to grow our tourism industry in Western Australia,” he said. “The WA Government has just announced the largest ever budget for Tourism WA at $167 million for 2022-23, to be invested in marketing, aviation, events and destination development.” He also visited premium supermarket Waitrose, which has partnered with Tourism Western Australia to expose shoppers to the destination’s gourmet adventures. This included Western Australian wine tasting events, a BBQ event featuring chef Tony Howell and content in their Food magazine, app and website.   Watch as TravelMole spoke to Roger Cook, Western Australia’s Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister: [yotuwp type="videos" id="W1cmkBEE4TY" ]  

Perth, Western Australia is set for a bumper month of top-class international sport this July. It welcomes rugby and football fans from England and at home for three major games. It comes as London to Perth direct flights returned this week. July 2022 will kick off with the England rugby team returning to Perth for the first time in 12 years to take on the Wallabies at the Optus Stadium, on Saturday 2 July 2022. It will be the first game England has played at the Optus Stadium, which only opened its doors in 2018. New innovative features such as the Halo enable fans to watch a game from the roof, with a 360-degree view offering a unique perspective of Perth and the game. The game is expected to attract more than 50,000 rugby fans. Then, four Premier League football teams will arrive in Perth for ICON - Perth's Festival of International Football. The festival sees Manchester United take on West Ham United with Crystal Palace facng Leeds United on 22 and 23 July 2022. Fans wishing to extend their stay in WA can explore one of the city’s 19 beaches, s Ziplining across the Matagarup Bridge, or take to the Swan River with the new Waterbike tour. Visitors can find out more about Perth at WesternAustralia.com and book tickets for the games at OptusStadium.com.au

  Tourism Western Australia has welcomed the early return of the Qantas direct flight between London and Perth. The resumption of Qantas' more direct route has been brought forward early ahead of schedule, with flights to begin on 23 May 2022. The route was previously scheduled to return to Perth from June 19. Tickets will go on sale today.   At the time of its launch in 2018, the popular direct route was the only non-stop service between Australia and the United Kingdom as well as the first ever direct service between the two countries. The new direct service firmly established Perth as Australia's western gateway to Europe, with most flights operating at full capacity in both directions, and Qantas reporting the route as the most popular and profitable across its network.   The United Kingdom is a key high-value tourism market for WA, with more than 122,000 UK travellers visiting the State in 2019. Before the direct flight was temporarily rerouted due to COVID-19, international leisure arrivals from Europe had increased by 2.8 per cent in 2019 compared to the previous year, injecting approximately $545 million visitor spend into the economy.   Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Roger Cook:   "The United Kingdom is a key visitor market for WA and the early return of the Perth-London route marks a great day for tourism in our State. The two direct connections from Perth to London and Rome will provide a huge boost in the number of visitors coming to WA from Europe, which will create more jobs in our tourism, entertainment and hospitality industries, and inject millions into our State's economy. This is yet another sign of confidence that WA is open for business and open for tourism. We strongly encourage our European friends to take advantage of these direct services to come to Western Australia, visit family and friends, and most importantly, Wander out Yonder into our regions and explore all the incredible attractions our State has to offer."

Pre-departure testing for international travellers arriving in Australia is set to end within weeks. Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the ’milestone’ for Australia’s recovery from April 17. From that date, no pre-departure tests are required but arrivals must still provide proof of double vaccination. All travellers must continue wearing masks on all domestic and international flights.. At the same international cruise ships will be allowed to operate in Australian waters for the first time in over two years.  

The Australia federal government is funding a multi-million dollar campaign to boost inbound tourism in the hardest-hit areas of the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a $60 million campaign to lure foreign travellers. Tourism Tropical North Queensland will be given $15 million to promote the region, with the rest going to Tourism Australia to advertise in key source markets. It includes outdoor ads in New York's Times Square and London's Piccadilly Circus, as well as TV, online and social media.

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan has raised hopes of a long overdue cruise restart in Australia. He hinted foreign cruise ships could return to Aussie waters when the existing cruise ban expires on April 17. “I can see no reason why it won’t be lifted and I say to our tourism industry, our travel agents, given what we’ve heard over the last couple of days, I think we can all start planning for that resumption,” Tehan said. It will be ‘a new dawn ’for the cruise industry, CLIA says. “The Australian cruise industry has lost $10 billion over the past two years, and the absence of the ships has disrupted 18,000 jobs, so we are really hopeful now that the government will give us the green light,” said Joel Katz, of the Cruise Lines International Association Australasia. Operators including Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia have welcomed Tehan’s comments. The Federal Government is tipped to confirm the ban will end on April 17, and then a restart schedule for cruise ships will be handed over to state governments to manage.

Foreign tourists are back on Australian soil after nearly two years. It has been over 700 days since tourists were last allowed back into the country. Tourism Minister Dan Tehan says airlines are itching to ramp up flights in the coming weeks.  Qantas Group says it expects to bring in 14,000 people into Australia on inbound international flights this week. There is high demand from the United States and UK, it says.   Read full story

Western Australia's hard borders will swing open on March 3. It allows triple-jabbed vaccinated arrivals from out of state to enter WA without quarantining. International arrivals will also be permitted and must take a rapid antigen test within 12 hours of arriving. There is a cap of 70 per week for unvaccinated Australians returning to Perth who must undergo a week of hotel quarantine. "March 3 will be a step forward for Western Australia, a safe step forward, taken at the right time, in the right way, for the right reasons," state Premier Mark McGowan said. The Premier unveiled various restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. Indoor mask mandates will be extended to apply to the entire state. The state government is currently providing all interstate and international arrivals with two Rapid Antigen Tests so they can self-administer at home and from March 3. One test will be provided to each arrival to meet the new interim controls.  

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia’s borders will swing open for fully-vaccinated travellers from February 21. It comes as Covid-19 cases continue to drop. Australia’s international borders have been closed nearly two years with the tourism sector badly affected. It has been hailed by trade groups and airlines including Qantas. "Borders reopening to international tourists means Australia is finally back open for business," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said. "We will be looking at our schedules to see if we can restart flights from more international destinations sooner or add capacity to those routes we are already flying.” "We have the flexibility to ramp up flights in response to demand." The PM said the federal government had been working tirelessly to re-open Australia's borders in stages since November 2021. “Those programmes have proceeded very successfully - whether it was programmes with New Zealand or Singapore, , opening up to international students and backpackers and economic migrants who are coming to Australia, that will now be extended to international visitors who will be able to return," he said. "If you're double-vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia and I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that." Since November, when border restrictions were first relaxed, about 300,000 people have entered Australia.