Perth (TAN): Rottnest Island, which lies offshore from the city of Perth in Western Australia, saw a record number of visitors in the financial year 2018-19.
Annual visitors to the popular holiday destination grew 6.9 per cent from the earlier year, and 21 per cent in two years to cross 785,000 in 2018-19, the state’s tourism ministry said.
“With visitor numbers continuing to increase, Rottnest Island is on target to reach its 2034 target of 800,000 annual visitors – more than a decade ahead of time,” Tourism Minister, Western Australia, Paul Papalia said.
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The Rottnest Island Authority’s bicycle hire service too had the best year, renting out 132,158 bicycles, 9,441 snorkel sets and 20,500 accessories, which earned the operation AUD4.1 million in terms of total revenue, growing 13 per cent over the earlier year.
The island’s growing popularity can be attributed to moves such as marketing campaigns, additional ferry services and better activities for tourists, the state government said.
In fact, actor Chris Hemsworth’s quokka selfie on Rottnest went viral on Instagram generating millions of views, which boosted the island’s Instagram followers by nearly 50 per cent to 91,000 in 2018-19.
“Rottnest Island continues to experience huge visitation numbers, which is why our investment towards key infrastructure is vital in ensuring the island’s sustainability into the future. The island’s growing appeal in 2018-19 was underscored by the construction of 83 new eco-tents representing the first accommodation to be built on the island in about 40 years, a new beach club with a swimming pool and restaurant and eight new recreational businesses,” Papalia said.
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“Whether it is premium hotel rooms, a classic Rottnest unit overlooking the bay or a glamping experience, we are definitely bringing more variety to the island and ensuring Rottnest’s appeal will continue into the future. The McGowan Government is committed to building on the island’s appeal and sustainment into the future, recently injecting AUD16.2 million into key infrastructure,” he added.
While the Rottnest Island Authority is already working on the Fuel Jetty, it also has plans for the Thomson Bay South Development and Main Jetty.
