Perth (TAN): Thor actor Chris Hemsworth has given the booming Rottenest island tourism a further boost with his quokka selfie and video on Instagram.
“Got my first quokka selfie this week at @rottnestislandwa. Epic little creatures are all over the island just cruisin through the day doin their thing. Get there and check it out!” Hemsworth, who has 26 million followers, posted.
The Hollywood heartthrob was accompanied by his wife Elsa Pataky and their children, apart from fellow acting superstar Matt Damon. Pataky also posted a quokka selfie. She has 2.8 million followers.
Tennis legend Roger Federer gave Rottnest island the first push with a selfie with a quokka in 2017 and the Western Australia government took it from there to promote it as a tourist destination. The results are showing.
[ALSO READ: British Airways flight to Dusseldorf lands in Edinburgh]
In 2018, 770,000 people visited the island situated off the Perth coast. This is a 15 per cent increase on the previous year’s numbers.
The economy on Rottnest island is thriving and it only looks to be better from here especially with the opening of more activities being opened for tourists
Paul Papalia, tourism minister of the state of Western Australia, said: “The McGowan Government’s (of Western Australia) drive to diversify the recreational offerings and approve developments on Rottnest has led to the island’s biggest boom period in both visitors and in new investments.
“This year will see the opening of Discovery Rottnest Island, which will provide an eco-friendly and unique accommodation option, while construction on the Hotel Rottnest will significantly increase accommodation options.”
But the reason for worry is, the authorities had foreseen a 4 per cent increase in year-on-year tourist visits. As things stand now, the number of annual visitors to Rottnest could touch 800,000 this year, a target set for 2034.
Is the island, a nature reserve, prepared for it? The tourists go to Rottnest for its clean and fairly unspoilt surroundings.But with the hordes of tourists visiting every day, how long will the pristine nature of the area remain?
[ALSO READ: Learn to brew a local liquor as part of this immersive travel experience in Mexico]
The tourism minister believes with proper steps, this is a problem that is manageable. ABC News said the state government was considering a new management plan drawn up by the Rottnest Island Authority.
“It’s around comprehensive infrastructure demands for future and proposals for meeting these demands,” Papalia said.
“They (the island authority) are anticipating growth and ensuring we are able to deal with that.”
