WA Govenment says Rally Australia creates little benefit for WA
A report in Rally Sport Magazine says that the Western Australian Government claims that Rally Australia received less media coverage than last year’s Red Bull Air Race, and that footage of the rally didn’t show images of Perth or Western Australia, according to a report in yesterday’s The West Australian newspaper.
The report indicated that the Government expects to make only $147,000 next year from events tourism after dropping Rally Australia and replacing it with the Red Bull Air Race.
While former tourism minister, Mark McGowan, told Parliament in 2005 “the absolute minimum return is $5 for every dollar invested”, the Government now has a more modest target of $2.90 for every $1 put into tourism events, according to The West Australian.
The report also added that Rally Australia failed to generate as much media coverage promoting Western Australia as the air race, which actually showed Perth.
“There is no TV footage of Perth, Western Australia, as a result of Rally Australia.”
“You see the race but you don’t see images of Western Australia”, a Government spokesperson said.
However, those in the motorsport media would surely beg to differ as the official WRC coverage of last year’s Rally Australia started with a series of scenic shots of Perth and Western Australia.
The report is said by some to appear to be a cop-out from the WA Government after they gave up their right to host Australia’s round of the World Rally Championship.
The event will now be run in Queensland, starting in 2008.
WA’s shadow tourism minister, Katie Hodson-Thomas, said that the Government didn’t seem to be looking for new and innovative events, and that the state should be trying to attract a round of the V8 Supercars to the streets of Perth by 2010.
Report by The Mole from Rally Sport Magazine
John Alwyn-Jones
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