Healthy boost for City visitor numbers

Tourism in Albany increased by more than a quarter last year, with more than 440,000 domestic tourists visiting town in the 12 months from March 2018.

The figures, from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, showed a 27 per cent increase in overnight domestic tourism in that period — up from 346,000 in the previous 12 months.

International tourism during that period, meanwhile, increased from about 44,000 to more than 51,000.

The growth was assisted by the popular Field of Light: Avenue of Honour display on Mt Clarence, which ran from October 2018 to April and helped boost the National Anzac Centre to its highest grossing quarter.

Tourism WA figures also showed Albany outpaced the South West’s average domestic tourism growth, which was about 10 per cent.

Speaking from the site of Albany’s proposed Hilton Garden Inn hotel last Thursday, Premier Mark McGowan said other attractions, including Albany businesses’ recent success in food and beverage competitions, helped boost outside interest.

“There’s been a massive expansion in the number of tourists coming to Albany in the last year,” he said.

However, Albany’s 17 per cent increase in interstate tourism lagged behind the region-wide growth of 42 per cent.