WA adds gambling and booze concessions to lift flagging tourist numbers

Health & Leisure
Wednesday, 10 August 2016

Gambling on cruise ships will be permitted for intrastate cruises and within 12 nautical miles of the Western Australian coastline under changes outlined by premier and Tourism minister Colin Barnett.


It was one of three announcements he made during the opening of the 2016 WA Tourism Conference, including changes to liquor control regulations and a new marketing agreement with Australia’s flag carrier Qantas.


"Cruise ships are crucial to growing the State's tourism industry.  The number of cruise ships coming to Fremantle has more than tripled since 2012-13 when 17 ships brought 49,000 passengers to the port city.  In 2015-16, 58 ships berthed at Fremantle with 152,000 passengers," he said.


"Lifting these gaming restrictions will make the State more attractive as a destination for cruise companies, which generate more than A$275 million for the local economy."


The existing provision that it must be a scheduled deep water cruise will still apply, along with a new provision that gaming on a ship must be an ancillary service, meaning ‘casino cruises' willremain banned.


Barnett also told the conference that the Liberal National government would be changing liquor control regulations to exempt a tourism business from requiring a liquor licence to supply alcohol to visitors in the course of providing a tourism service.


"This has stopped tourism operators providing customers with a beer or wine while watching the sunset, or sitting around a camp fire at the end of an adventure tour," he said.


Tourism WA and Qantas have inked a new A$7.2 million marketing deal over three years to bring visitors to the State.

WA adds gambling and booze concessions to lift flagging tourist numbers

Health & Leisure
Wednesday, 10 August 2016

Gambling on cruise ships will be permitted for intrastate cruises and within 12 nautical miles of the Western Australian coastline under changes outlined by premier and Tourism minister Colin Barnett.


It was one of three announcements he made during the opening of the 2016 WA Tourism Conference, including changes to liquor control regulations and a new marketing agreement with Australia’s flag carrier Qantas.


"Cruise ships are crucial to growing the State's tourism industry.  The number of cruise ships coming to Fremantle has more than tripled since 2012-13 when 17 ships brought 49,000 passengers to the port city.  In 2015-16, 58 ships berthed at Fremantle with 152,000 passengers," he said.


"Lifting these gaming restrictions will make the State more attractive as a destination for cruise companies, which generate more than A$275 million for the local economy."


The existing provision that it must be a scheduled deep water cruise will still apply, along with a new provision that gaming on a ship must be an ancillary service, meaning ‘casino cruises' willremain banned.


Barnett also told the conference that the Liberal National government would be changing liquor control regulations to exempt a tourism business from requiring a liquor licence to supply alcohol to visitors in the course of providing a tourism service.


"This has stopped tourism operators providing customers with a beer or wine while watching the sunset, or sitting around a camp fire at the end of an adventure tour," he said.


Tourism WA and Qantas have inked a new A$7.2 million marketing deal over three years to bring visitors to the State.