The Western Australia government has launched a campaign aimed
at increasing the number of Chinese tourists to the state.
Lieutenant General John Sanderson, the WA governor, yesterday
encouraged people from Shanghai to visit the state for a unique
tourism experience.
The government campaign promotes WA's superb landscapes and
unique wildlife.
Richard Muirhead, chief executive officer, Tourism Western
Australia said while China was an important tourism market to
Australia, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to WA was only
a small portion of the overall numbers.
"By traveling to WA, tourists will have a chance to experience
the real Australia," said Muirhead.
Western Australia boasts more than 5,200 types of plants and
many unique wild animals.
"You'll be able to play with the lovely dolphins," the chief
executive officer said.
Clean air and wide open spaces are WA's biggest draw card.
Frankie Gao, industry servicing manager of Tourism Australia,
China Office, said: "I remembered those good old days in my
childhood when I looked up to the sky in WA."
"There were extremely clear moons and stars shining at night,
totally different from those that appear in other places such as
Sydney and Melbourne," he added.
Currently, there is no direct air service between Shanghai and
Perth, the capital city.
(Shanghai Daily July 3, 2004)