Western Australia’s tourism industry had an outstanding year, with $19.2 billion in visitor spend, 11 million overnight visitors, and major events delivering a $2.8 return on every $1 invested by the Cook Labor Government.
Western Australia recorded $19.2 billion in visitor expenditure and 11 million overnight visitors, highlighting continued growth in the state’s visitor economy and strengthening international tourism performance.
The results, reported by the Western Australian Government and Tourism Western Australia, relate to 2025, while Tourism WA’s latest annual-report figures cover the 2025–26 financial year. The government says the $19.2 billion in visitor spending exceeded its annual target by $800 million, while the 11 million overnight visitors were 300,000 above target.
International visitation reaches record level
International tourism was a major contributor to the performance. Western Australia recorded 1.1 million international visitors in 2025, the highest number recorded for the state, with international visitors spending approximately $3.4 billion.
Tourism WA said Western Australia achieved an 8.7% share of Australia’s international visitor market, above its 8% target. The state was also the first Australian jurisdiction to recover international visitor volumes to pre-pandemic levels, according to the state government.
The United Kingdom remained Western Australia’s largest international market by visitor numbers, with about 163,000 visitors spending $414 million in the state.
China was the leading international market by visitor expenditure, with around 70,000 visitors generating $503 million in spending, a 66% increase from 2024.
France and Japan also recorded strong growth. French visitor numbers increased 80%, while spending by Japanese visitors rose 85%, according to the Western Australian Government.
India remains a priority growth market
India continues to feature among Western Australia’s priority international markets. The state government’s latest announcement said approximately 50,000 Indian visitors travelled to Western Australia.
The government has identified India and Vietnam as emerging markets with further potential for visitor growth, aviation connectivity and investment.
Tourism WA’s international marketing strategy is being supported by its global Walking On A Dream campaign, which operates across 13 key international markets. Tourism WA said the campaign has played a role in the state’s international tourism recovery.
Perth’s international connectivity expands
Improved air connectivity has been another factor supporting Western Australia’s international tourism growth.
The government said Perth is connected to 22 international destinations, with nonstop services operated by 26 airlines. Tourism WA’s current visitor statistics page similarly lists 22 global cities with direct flights into Perth.
The expansion of aviation access has helped strengthen links with key source markets while supporting the state’s wider tourism and economic-development strategy.
Regional Western Australia benefits
Tourism growth has also extended beyond Perth and the state’s metropolitan areas.
Visitors spent approximately $6 billion in regional Western Australia during 2025, according to the state government.
The latest annual visitor figures also show that Western Australia received 1.2 million interstate overnight visitors in 2025, while 8.7 million intrastate overnight visitors travelled within the state. Interstate visitors generated $3.3 billion in expenditure, while intrastate overnight visitors spent $7.9 billion.
Day trips added a further 29.1 million visits and $4.6 billion in expenditure.
Major events generate tourism returns
Major and regional events remained an important component of Western Australia’s visitor strategy.
According to Tourism WA’s 2025–26 results, the state’s events strategy generated $2.80 in direct economic return for every $1 invested, exceeding the target of $2.40. Events cited by Tourism WA include the AFL Origin, Perth Sail Grand Prix, WWE Weekend Takeover and NRL matches.
The broader 2025 visitor results also identified events such as WWE: Crown Jewel, the Bledisloe Cup and the Ashes West Test among the activities supporting tourism demand.
Tourism investment continues
The Western Australian Government has committed $46.7 million over the forward estimates for 2026–27 to support tourism initiatives, including destination marketing, investment attraction and infrastructure, business events and related sector development. A further $20 million has been committed to Aboriginal tourism initiatives.
Tourism WA’s longer-term objective is to grow Western Australia’s visitor economy to $25 billion in visitor expenditure by 2033, under the WA Visitor Economy Strategy 2033.
The state’s tourism statistics are continuing to evolve following Tourism Research Australia’s introduction of the new Domestic Tourism Statistics system in 2025. Tourism WA notes that the methodology change has resulted in revisions to inter- and intrastate expenditure and backcast estimates, meaning comparisons with earlier datasets should be made carefully.
Strong platform for further international growth
Western Australia’s latest results point to continued expansion in both domestic and international tourism, supported by increased air connectivity, major events, destination marketing and visitor spending across regional areas.
The state government said its next focus will include expanding opportunities in markets such as India and Vietnam while attracting additional aviation services and tourism investment.
