April 18, 2018 Cancellation of world surfing event a disaster for WA tourism The cancellation of the Margaret River Pro is devastating, not only for the region but the WA tourism industry as a whole, according to Shadow Tourism Minister Libby Mettam. “More than 18 million surfing fans visited the Margaret River website last year. This is an event that brings $5.4 million to the local economy – the damage of today’s cancellation to our economy and reputation will take years to rebuild,” Ms Mettam said. “While I have every confidence in Surfing WA in managing the safety of this event, it was clear that the two shark attacks in the vicinity and the feedback from the Brazilian surfers influenced this decision. “I appreciate that competitors’ safety is paramount and this was a difficult decision for organisers who had put in place extra measures to ensure the surfers’ safety in light of the shark attacks, but it is undeniable there’s now an international perception that Margaret River and WA is not a safe place to surf or swim due to sharks.” Ms Mettam said the long-term damage to the local economy and the WA tourism industry as a whole was indisputable. “This is not about political point scoring. This is about the McGowan Government appreciating the impact of the shark issue on one of the State’s most important sporting, community and tourism events,” she said. “The Tourism Minister and the acting Fisheries Minister need to get their heads out of the sand and realise this issue is not going to go away and we need a proper shark mitigation strategy to try and repair the negative impact this has had before more damage is done.” Ms Mettam said the Government’s half-baked shark mitigation policy that relied solely on ocean users being able to pay nearly $500 for a shark repellent device was never going to be sufficient. “There are other technologies available that are being implemented by other States and authorities around the globe but the McGowan Government has stubbornly refused to even consider them,” Ms Mettam said. “If we are to have any hope of retaining any tourism activity associated with our spectacular beaches the McGowan Government must do everything it can right now to mitigate shark attacks, including trialling SMART drum lines and clever buoys.” Media Contact 0414 825 855 |
