Walking on a Dream tourism campaign launched in Malaysia to win back WA market after pandemic drop off

Western Australia’s Walking on a Dream tourism campaign was launched in Malaysia on Wednesday in the hopes of luring in more travel from a lucrative tourism market which has struggled to rebound from the pandemic. As part of the campaign a 3D billboard will showcase a whale shark synonymous with Western Australia’s Ningaloo region at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur shopping precinct. There will also be digital ads on the Menara and KS Law Kuala Lumpur buildings. But while Western Australia’s international tourism market has mostly recovered since the pandemic, visits from Malaysia have lagged behind. Tourism WA figures of the 2024 calendar year show international visitation from Malyasia was 61,000 and total spend was $136 million. While still the fifth largest international market in the State, the visitors figure is still 40 per cent lower than in 2019, a steeper reduction compared to the total average reduction of 13 per cent over the same period. The campaign comes ahead of a deal between the State Government and AirAsia which will resume twice-daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Perth on June 23. The airline will also offer flight discounts worth a total $145,000 for Malaysian travellers for the Perth flight between August and December. It is hoped the deal will bring in bringing in 4000 extra visitors adding $7 million to the Western Australian economy. The Walking on a Dream campaign was launched in 2022 designed to attract tourists for key markets such as Britain, the United States and China. In total, the government will spend $15 million over five years in 11 countries as well as interstate to attract visitors to the State. Tourism WA declined to say how much the deal with AirAsia cost due to commercial confidence but a spokesperson said it was within the allocated budget. “Our latest co-operative marketing campaign with AirAsia is expected to bring around 4000 extra travellers from Malaysia to Perth, generating nearly $7 million in visitor spend for WA’s economy,” they said. “The exact value of the campaign is commercial in confidence due to the competitive nature of securing strategic and competitive agreements with global partners. “However, it has been funded as part of the $72.7 million allocated in the 2024-25 State Budget to Tourism WA, to market Western Australia under our global destination brand, Walking On A Dream.” Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said Malaysia was an important area to target. “Malaysia is a key tourism market for Western Australia, and this exciting new partnership with AirAsia will inspire more Malaysians to choose WA for their next holiday,“ he said. “With AirAsia confirming its commitment to Western Australia through twice-daily flights, this campaign is perfectly planned to drive more visitors and deliver strong returns for tourism operators, grow the WA tourism industry and inject more tourism dollars into our economy.”