If you think you know Perth and Western Australia, think again. Western Australia is the perfect place to recharge your spirit.
Taxpayer-funded agency Tourism WA has secretly scrapped a AU$2m global campaign that was already under production.
The campaign had made significant progress with production work getting underway in September 2020.
The project, called “Our Story: The Spirit of Adventure, included consultation from 500 tourism business owners and industry leaders from across the state.
However, the agency has since revealed that they decided the project no longer “met the long-term needs of the post-pandemic traveller”.
“As many organisations have experienced, COVID-19 impacted the objectives of services contracted before the pandemic,” a statement read.
“As a result, previous work to develop a new tourism brand for Western Australia has required revision because of shifting consumer behaviours.”
It is not known how much of the projected AU$2m had already been spent.
The footage was instead repurposed and used as part of two campaigns titled Wander out Yonder and Adventure Awaits.
Tourism WA said this was to ensure “value was extracted from the work carried out to date”.
A new “global brand” is expected to be revealed in September to better reflect the “evolving global travel marketplace”.
It comes after the tourism agency has recently appointed a new managing director and chair.
Initial production work was reportedly carried out in September 2020, the same month Brodie Carr resigned as Tourism WA managing director.
Opposition leader Mia Davies has urged the McGowan Government to reveal the taxpayer cost of restarting the campaign from scratch.
“The McGowan Government is big on announcements but fails on delivery and transparency,” she told The West.
“At a time when many households are struggling to make ends meet, it’s pretty ordinary to think millions are being wasted.”
