With the world of business and leisure increasingly blurring (bleisure anyone?), Western Australia is rapidly making a name for itself as a top business event destination.

With its rainbow-coloured beaches, crystal-clear ocean and open roads, it is little surprise that The World Travel & Tourism Council has chosen WA as the destination for its 2024 global summit.

Worldwide names such as Matt Goldberg (CEO of Tripadvisor), James Thornton (CEO of Intrepid Travel), and Audrey Hendley (president, global travel and lifestyle services at American Express), not to mention our own Rob Irwin, will be descending on Perth during the event.

With millions of dollars invested in infrastructure in recent years – hotels, conferences, and restaurants – we are sure many more conferences will be held in the region.

So, if you’re currently deciding where to hold your next conference, here are five reasons to consider WA:

5. I mean, we HAVE to start with the natural beauty

In a world craving natural beauty and connection to community, it is little wonder that tourism to Western Australia is thriving.

The destination has some of the world’s most jaw-dropping scenery including Wave Rock, Jewel Cave and pink lakes.

It is little surprise that tourism to region has boomed in the age of social media, with travellers awed by the natural sights.

@westernaustralia

Just adding to your 2023 bucket-list adventures with PART 2 of otherworldly adventures in Western Australia. 📍Bungle Bungle Range (Purnululu National Park) 📍Dampier Peninsula 📍Ningaloo Reef (Nyinggulu) 📍The Pinnacles (Nambung) #westernaustralia #WAthedreamstate #traveltok @Australia’s Coral Coast @Australia’s North West

♬ suono originale – Jr Stit

But does a great tourist location equal a great conference location? Well, given that experience-first conferences have been named as a top trend of 2024, we would say so!

It is no longer enough to put guests in a standard city conference room with a few canapes, you need to give them experiences to remember.

4. Access to culture

A recent study by Marriott Luxury Group found that high-net-worth travellers are increasingly prioritising access to local communities when they travel. They are looking for hotels and resorts that can connect them with local people to create an authentic travel experience.

WA is well-placed to become Australia’s premier destination for authentic Aboriginal tourism with the launch of the Jina: Western Australian Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2021-2025.

The four-year plan, backed by the $20 million Aboriginal Tourism Fund will support a range of initiatives including the development of new Aboriginal tourism experiences.

When it comes to providing a unique highly Australian experience, you can’t do better than WA.

3. Connected to the rest of the world

It is no secret that Australia’s location and time zone can mean that it is often ruled out as a destination for international events.

With its air links and more Northern Hemisphere-friendly time zone, however, WA is far more connected to the rest of the world than Australia’s east coast.

In fact – WA is aligned with 60 per cent of the world’s population, making it the Western gateway to Australia.

In terms of destinations, WA has connections to more than 110 destinations as well as direct flights to top spots such as London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Dubai.

More than 16.1 million passengers travelled through Perth Airport in the 2023-2024 financial year, breaking a new record.

Perth Airport artist’s impression. Source: Instagram

2. The Accommodation 

Hotel and accommodation spaces in WA continue to increase quickly – in Perth alone, they have increased 30 per cent since 2019!

Perth is home to international hotel brands including InterContinental (IHG Hotels), Ritz-Carlton, The Westin, Pan Pacific, DoubleTree by Hilton, Aloft and the Courtyard (Marriott).

Guests will be able to stay in luxury without paying over-saturated Sydney prices. 

1. Thought Leadership

What you might not know about Perth is that it is a global thought leadership hub when it comes to some of the world’s hottest topics such as resources and energy, mining, technology, environmental sustainability, agribusiness, and marine.

Eight of the world’s 14 largest international energy companies have offices in Perth, including Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Chevron and ConocoPhillips.

If you are looking to host a conference that factors in issues such as technology and sustainability then you can do no better.

If you are interested in holding your next event in Perth, reach out to info@beperth.com or submit an online application through the Business Event Support Application (BESA) page.