Asia Pacific Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition
Brief ministerial statement
Mr Reece Whitby (Baldivis—Minister for Tourism) (1:18 pm): I rise to inform the house of the successful delivery of the inaugural Asia Pacific Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition, otherwise known in tourism parlance as AHICE, a summit in Perth which was held last week. Indeed, it was held in beautiful Fremantle, which last week also won the award for the best tourist town in Australia.
Ms Simone McGurk interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: The member for Fremantle is very proud as the local member. The hotel investment summit was brought to Western Australia for the first time through the strong advocacy of the Cook Labor government through Tourism WA. We recognise the vital role that accommodation and hospitality investment plays in growing our state's visitor economy. Tourism is an important pillar of our work to diversify the Western Australian economy and create jobs, opportunity, investment and excitement for the economy. The event attracted 185 delegates representing national and international hotel owners, operators and developers and it reflects WA's growing reputation as an investment-ready destination. I was very proud to see strong representation from local hospitality developers, demonstrating confidence in our tourism sector and its future growth.
This event drew significant interest from major capitals from around the world and commercial real estate brokers, highlighting the depth of investor interest in Australia's tourism sector. I had the pleasure of engaging with senior industry executives to reinforce our government's commitment to working with industry to unlock opportunities right across WA. The AHICE summit program focused exclusively on Perth and Western Australia.
It was extremely promising to see the level of interest from delegates for opportunities not only here in Perth but also across the region. Discussions underscored the value of this government's investment in the always-on calendar of events. We have heard about those investments, which aim to grow and maintain hotel occupancy rates and yields.
We have had some great events in Perth and Western Australia and members can see them identified when we have bookings at our local hotels. In the quiet season and in the off-shoulder season, we are seeing people come to this state when perhaps they did not in previous years because we are investing in big events here. I am pleased to advise that following the success of this inaugural event, the AHICE summit will return to Perth in 2026 with an expanded program. We remain firmly committed to attracting the right investment in tourism infrastructure. We want to invest best where we grow jobs to support regional communities and strengthen Western Australia's standing as a world-class destination.
