Western Australia turns tourists away
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Western Australia (WA) is missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars a year because of an accommodation shortage.
Evan Hall, from the Tourism Council of WA, says that tourists are being turned away every ay because they can’t find a place to stay. Hall disputes the idea that tour operators are suffering because of falling arrivals due to global economic conditions. Conceding this is a contributing factor, he said that Perth’s shortage of hotel rooms is the critical problem.
Travel agents are struggling to find accommodation for travellers in a city that is the gateway to the whole region. “We know there’s business out there, we know that people try to book but our hotels are full or our hotels are far too expensive for tourists to bother coming in the first place,” Hall told ABC.
A major pitfall is the layers of red tape, which impeded the development of new hotels. Due to the restrictions and bureaucracy, hotel development is confusing, time consuming and ultimately unprofitable, forcing property developers into residential projects.
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