McGowan mercy dash

WESTERN Australia’s renegade Premier Mark McGowan has jetted off on a mission to several countries in a bid to put tourism to the state back on the agenda.

The special Reconnect WA mission will see McGowan visit Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Qatar, with talks to focus on attracting more workers and tourists to the state as its tourism sector continues to do it very tough, even during the post-pandemic recovery period.

A series of tourism roundtables will be hosted in Rome and London for tourism wholesalers, key distributors and partners to meet with the Premier and WA’s tourism representatives, while a special trip to Dublin is also on the itinerary, where the WA chief will meet with senior politicians to talk up the prospect of a range skilled workforce opportunities.

McGowan hopes discussions in Ireland will result in more talent arriving in the state to service a range of sectors, including tourism and hospitality.

The trip will also place a strong emphasis on securing greater air connectivity to WA, with Qantas’ soon-to-launch Perth to Rome route to serve as the template for more opportunities.

“Prior to the pandemic, WA had a proven track record of securing direct routes and new flight connections to link Western Australia with the world to make it more convenient, and to support business, investment and tourism opportunities, and I want to see this continue,” McGowan said, adding that WA is a safe and incredible place to study, visit and do business, and this is something he will be heavily promoting on the mission.