The State Government has secured an agreement to ensure the Australasian Safari continues to promote regional Western Australia for the next three years, with options for a further six years.

Tourism Minister Liz Constable today said the agreement, reached with the event organisers, would ensure imagery of the Dakar-style safari, and ultimately the Western Australian outback, would be broadcast to millions of households around the world.

“The Australasian Safari will again be beamed into WA’s key international tourism markets including China, Europe, and the USA, and has proven to be an effective way to promote the extraordinary outback experiences that WA offers,” Dr Constable said.

“The safari attracts a considerable number of high profile international competitors whose participation draws additional media interest in their own countries as their progress is followed.”

The gruelling seven-day off-road rally involves competitors in four-wheel drives, motorbikes and quad-bikes racing the clock as they test their driving skills across 3,700 kilometres of challenging outback terrain.

“The safari course can be varied each year which provides opportunities to promote different regions of WA,” the Minister said.

“After each day’s racing, about 500 competitors, support crew and officials will convene at a designated bivouac camp site that will double as the event’s service park, generating an economic boost for the regional towns along the route.”

Planned alongside the Australasian Safari is the non-competitive ‘Adventure Tour’ that follows the safari course and takes in tourism experiences along the way.  

The 2009 Australasian Safari attracted more than 100 national and international competitors and boosted WA’s economy by about $2million.

Dates for the 2010 Australasian Safari will be announced shortly - for more information, visit http://www.australasiansafari.com.au or telephone 03 9685 3500.