29/11/00
Tourism Minister Norman Moore has launched an innovative new research project that will give accommodation operators and wineries in the East Metropolitan region up-to-date market research.
The initiative, to be known as the regional Tourism Activity Project, is funded by the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council.
The council includes the City of Belmont, City of Bayswater, Town of Bassendean, Shire of Kalamunda, Shire of Mundaring and the City of Swan.
Mr Moore said that the concept was simple.
“Operators provide answers, on a monthly basis, to a series of basic questions relating to the number of tourists who have visited their facilities,” he said.
“The information is then collated independently, aggregated and returned to the operators monthly.”
Mr Moore said that the accurate data collection would make it possible for tourism operators to predict busy periods, compare visitor numbers and accommodation occupancy rates and develop comprehensive forecasting models within their marketing plans.
He said that the visitor-tracking project would be the first in Australia to monitor wineries.
“Vignerons in the region will have the chance to fully exploit up-to-date information received through the Regional Tourism Activity Project,” he said.
“Smaller operators will see major benefits through this process.
“This is because for the first time, they will also be included in tourism research which has traditionally only been given to the larger operators through the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
“The combined efforts of the State and local governments, the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council and the Western Australian Tourism Commission in this area of research will no doubt give our tourism industry a leading edge.”
Media contact: Hartley Joynt, Minister’s office 9321 1444
