Western Australia welcomed 1024 million international visitors in the 12 months to October 2025, the highest in its history, signalling a complete recovery from COVID-19 and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The State led Australia in international tourism growth, driven by the Walking On a Dream global campaign, increased air connectivity and blockbuster events, reaffirming the Cook Government's strategy to diversify and strengthen WA's economy.
Western Australia has recorded the highest number of international visitors in its history, welcoming more than one million overseas arrivals in the 12 months to October 2025. According to new data from Tourism Research Australia, the State received 1.024 million international visitors, exceeding its previous pre-pandemic record of 996,000 and achieving full tourism revenue ahead of national projections.
WA emerged as the top-performing State for international tourism recovery, posting the most substantial year-on-year growth in overseas arrivals and surpassing the national average by a significant margin. This milestone follows the earlier recovery of the interstate market in March 2023 and marks an important step forward for the State's visitation economy.
Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said: "More than a million international visitors in a year is an incredible achievement and not only delivers recovery results for Western Australia. Thanks to our global brand cutting through the competitive world stage and strong trade partnerships, we have restored the industry to its pandemic strength and set it on course for the next decade of growth."
The achievement follows a series of targeted tourism and aviation initiatives by the WA Government through Tourism Western Australia. The Walking on a Dream brand is supported by global campaigns such as Drive the Dream with Daniel Ricciardo and high-profile international events like WWE: Crown Jewel and the Bledisloe Cup, which have significantly boosted visibility and conversion. Cruise tourism has reached 160% of pre-COVID levels, while international aviation capacity into WA has risen to 131% of 2019 levels, connecting the State to 20 global cities via 24 international airlines.
The tourism industry now supports more than 120,000 jobs and 30,000 tourism and hospitality businesses across Western Australia. Minister Whitby added: "This success shows that the Cook Government's investment in tourism is working for promoting WA abroad and securing major events, expanding aviation links and developing Aboriginal tourism. Our visit to the economy is growing faster and stronger than ever."
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