13/10/04
The Salomon Masters and Sunsmart Classic surfing events held at Margaret River in March and April this year injected more than $2.3million into the Western Australian economy.
An independent analysis carried out by Market Equity showed that visitors who came to WA for the surfing events spent an average of 14 nights in the State.
Tourism Minister Bob Kucera said the events were a great success, attracting more than 500 interstate and international surfing enthusiasts as well as thousands of locals.
“The return on the State Government’s investment was 19:1, which is a great outcome for WA,” Mr Kucera said.
“The Salomon Masters and Sunsmart Classic provided a spectacular showcase of Australia’s South-West to audiences around Australia and the world.”
Competitors came from the United States, Brazil and Hawaii, while spectators came from interstate, as well as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Germany.
The Salomon Masters featured 117 interstate and 169 international surfers, while the Sunsmart Classic had 20 interstate and eight international competitors.
“Many visitors took the opportunity to extend their stay and experience more of WA, which is great news for our regional economies,” the Minister said.
“The next Salomon Masters and Sunsmart Classic events will be in March 2005.”
Minister's office: 9213 7000
