Perth would stagnate as a business events destination and miss out on millions of dollars of foreign exchange earnings if new hotel infrastructure investments isn't developed, according to Perth Convention Bureau Managing Director Christine McLean.
Ms McLean issued her warning at the Bureau's Annual General Meeting at the Sheraton Perth Hotel yesterday (Monday, November 22) afternoon.
She said the State Government needed to "seize the day" and provide a package of financial incentives to attract developers. "Whether it's the provision of Crown land, tax breaks or other incentives, we must make it attractive to hotel developers to invest in Western Australia," she added.
"This has become even more critical with Perth securing the world's biggest and most prestigious liquefied natural gas conference LNG18, which is expected to attract more than 4,000 delegates when it is staged here in 2016. The clock is ticking."
Ms McLean said that while Perth had progressed in terms of its expertise and reputation as a business events destination, its infrastructure and destination development has been falling sadly behind.
"For a State that prides itself on being the nation's powerhouse economy, this is indeed a sad state of affairs," she said.
"It's an undeniable truth that the growth we're been experiencing in the business events sector will come to a standstill if we don't have 300 new star rated hotel rooms coming on stream each year for the next 10 years."
Ms McLean's comments were echoed by the Bureau's Chairman, former Tourism Minister Ian Laurance. He told the meeting that the Bureau had delivered a $31 million return for every $1 million invested by the State Government for the 2009-2010 financial year.
"In a year when leisure tourism declined, that is an exceptional return on investment," Mr Laurance said.
It was important, he said, for Governments at State and Federal levels to recognise the resilience of the high yielding business events industry, particularly in uncertain economic times.
