TourismInvestment Profile

Gascoyne

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Supporting documents and resourcesGascoyne Development Commission www.gdc.wa.gov.au

Tourism Western Australia www.westernaustralia.com

Australia’s Coral Coast www.australiascoralcoast.com

Australia’s Golden Outback www.australiasgoldenoutback.com

Ningaloo Coast Region Visitor Statistics www.crctourism.com.au

Ningaloo Coast Regional Strategy Carnarvon to Exmouth www.planning.wa.gov.au

Tourism Research Australia www.tra.australia.com

Gascoyne Development Commission Offices

Carnarvon

PO Box 78115 Stuart StreetCarnarvon WA 6701Phone: (08) 9941 7000Fax: (08) 9941 2576Freecall: 1800 061 173Email: info@gdc.wa.gov.au

Visit our website www.gdc.wa.gov.au

Exmouth

PO Box 26621 Maidstone CrescentExmouth WA 6707Phone: (08) 9949 2090Fax: (08) 9949 1618

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Tourism Investment OpportunitiesThe Gascoyne region is generally considered to be in the ‘Development Phase’ of the Tourism Life Cycle. A range of tourism development opportunities have been identified including:

• Develop eco-tourism ventures including with an indigenous component

• Product development & eco-tourism opportunities at Dirk Hartog Island NP

• Development of nocturnal fauna tours in Francois Peron National Park

• Tourism development on ‘Potters Block’ in Denham and old justice site in Carnarvon

• Enhance and grow existing events and identify new opportunities

• Development of the aquaculture and associated tourism

• New hotel/resort investment in Carnarvon, Denham and Exmouth

• Cruise Ship industry development in Exmouth

• Development of tourism retail and offices and eateries/restaurant in the Exmouth Marina area

• Development and tours of cultural, fossil and fossick trails

• Enhance and grow existing events and identify new opportunities

• Whitlock Island tourism development including a multipurpose sporting facility and golf course

• Investigate potential development of ‘Hot Springs’ at sites such as Bibbawarra Bore

• Renew and rejuvenate children’s activity parks

• Development of small tourist node businesses such as kayak hire, snorkelling tours, and heritage walks

• Fishing charters

• Pastoral and plantation station stay accommodation, adventure sports experiences and work experience.

The Gascoyne region has many annual events that can continue to be supported and grown including the Shark Bay Winter Festival; Shark Bay Fishing Fiesta; Barefoot and Black Tie Event; Gascoyne in May; Gascoyne Food Festival; TropiCool Festival; Carnarfin Fishing Tournament; Gascoyne Dash; Burringurrah Fire Festival; Gascoyne Junction River Music Festival; Gascoyne Junction Races; Landor Races; Whaleshark festival; GAMEX Fishing Tournament; and Festival of the Reef in Coral Bay.

MarketingMarketing activities to promote tourism in the Gascoyne are carried out by two Regional Tourism Organisations. Australia’s Coral Coast promotes coastal experiences while Australia’s Golden Outback focuses on inland activities. In addition to their web sites, both these bodies produce an annual holiday planner and conduct interstate and international marketing campaigns. The recently established Gascoyne Tourism Board has been created to provide strategic direction and further develop the existing tourism industry through the implementation of the Gascoyne Tourism Strategy.

Visitor Centres in Denham, Carnarvon and Exmouth conduct marketing activities through their websites and produce and distribute annual holiday planners for each town as well as taking bookings and giving information at a local level. The Community Resource Centre in Gascoyne Junction also provides significant support for inland tourists.

Cultural ConnectionsAustralia’s Aboriginal people are recognised as the oldest living culture on earth. In the Gascoyne there is archaeological evidence of Aboriginal people living in the region for over 30,000 years. Aboriginal tourism provides an important opportunity to contribute significantly to the visitor experience through creating a spiritual, cultural, and emotional connection to the landscape and its people. The five Aboriginal language groups of the Gascoyne region are Yinggarda, Baiyungu, Malgana, Thadgari and Thalanyji. They form part of a broader cultural grouping that covers the Mid-West and Gascoyne known as Yamitji.

There are only a few Gascoyne based Aboriginal tourism operators, and these are operating from the Shark Bay area. These are held in high regard across the industry, and there is a need for further development of Aboriginal tourism throughout the Gascoyne.

AccommodationAccommodation providers in the coastal areas of the region operate at almost 100% occupancy in “peak season” from April to September with demand being greater than supply during these months. There are a large variety of accommodation options in the Gascoyne including caravan parks; backpacker; hotels/motels; apartments; holiday house rentals; resorts; caravan parks; camping; station/farm stays and bed and breakfasts.

VisitorsThe domestic tourism season is from April/May to September/October underlining the Gascoyne’s importance as a winter getaway. This period in the Gascoyne is typified by mild and sunny weather and coincides with the annual visitation of whale sharks and other marine megafauna. International tourists tend to visit during the summer period of October to December which coincides with winter in the northern hemisphere. Many of the visitors coming to the region for holiday or leisure are self-drive tourists looking for a nature based experience. The estimated average annual visitor numbers to the region has grown substantially in value from $208 million in 2013. For the year ending 2014, the value increased to $222.7 million and there were 332,575 visitors.

Activities and EventsThe Gascoyne is primarily a nature-based destination with the most popular visitor activities being marine encounters and outdoor activities. In general, the region attracts domestic visitors for wildlife experiences; beach, fishing and boating; exploring national parks; and four wheel drive touring. Whilst Shark Bay’s nature experiences, such as close encounters with wild dolphins at Monkey Mia, have traditionally attracted significant international visitation over many years, additional marine experiences including swimming with dugong, whale sharks, turtles, manta rays and viewing humpback whales are also emerging on the global scene.

Overview

Tourism is the largest revenue earner of all industry sectors in the Gascoyne Region, attracting an average turnover of $223 million annually.

Remote wilderness experiences and exceptional climate are the main attributes that draw visitors to the Gascoyne. The Gascoyne’s natural attractions are world class with the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, including Monkey Mia in the south; the Ningaloo Reef World Heritage Area in the north; and Kennedy Range and Mt Augustus National Parks to the east.

At 260 kilometres in length the Ningaloo Reef is one of the world’s largest fringing coral reefs and is home to thousands of species of marine life and megafauna including migrating whale sharks, manta rays, turtles and humpback whales. Visitors can experience much of this marine life directly from the beach, making the Ningaloo experience unique in Australia.

The Shark Bay World Heritage Area is one of the few areas around the globe that meets all four natural criteria for the World Heritage Listing; natural beauty, biological diversity, natural processes and earth’s history. Monkey Mia, in the eastern gulf of Shark Bay, was one of the first places in the world where wild dolphin interaction became possible.

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