Published: 09 February 2022
The 2021 Shinju Matsuri Festival in Broome has proved another success, generating almost $7.5 million in visitor spend for the region.
Supported through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program, the annual event celebrates the region’s rich multicultural community and is one of the State’s longest running events, with last year’s event marking the 51st year it has been held.
The Regional Events Program supports medium-to-large regional events across the State that meet criteria including supporting jobs in regional WA, attracting media coverage to promote a destination and bringing more people to the region.
According to a Tourism WA-commissioned report, the 2021 festival attracted 1,981 visitors to the Kimberley region, with the majority - 1,692 - from Western Australia.
Visitors to the 51st edition of the festival spent an average of $276 per day and stayed for a total of 27,613 visitor nights.
About 50 per cent of visitors fly to Broome for the festival, 23 per cent stay between one to two weeks and 35 per cent stay in resort or hotel accommodation according to results from an event holder survey.
The results showed almost all of the survey respondents who travelled to Broome for the festival chose to take part in a tourist activity during their stay, with the most popular activities comprising pearl farm tours, camel tours and whale watching.
Established in 1970, Shinju Matsuri, which is Japanese for ‘festival of the pearl’, has grown over time and was extended across 15 days in 2021, from August 22 to September 5.
Tourism WA has supported the event for the past ten years.