SYDNEY, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A new Australian study has identified social media as being key in attracting Asian tourists to the nations often overlooked West Coast.
The report, released on Tuesday by researchers at Curtin University, said that while visitors enjoy the area's world class natural environment, capturing and sharing their experiences online could help more tourists to discover the region.
With Australia's two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne located on the East Coast, the West is frequently overlooked, despite it's naturally beauty and potentially iconic landmarks.
"Many Asian visitors are motivated to visit a location based on word-of-mouth and a strong social media influence, so it is important that attractions in Australia's South West become more iconic by combining the unique features of the region with building popular social media moments into the activities on offer," lead author Dr. Michael Volgger said.
According to Volgger, the local tourism sector must incorporate a social media component into tourism activities and enlist the support of Asian social media influencers, as well as expanding free WiFi services.
Volgger said that Asian visitors were generally seeking iconic tourism experiences that centerd on highlighting the local food, wine and coastal views on offer.
Direct flights from Asia were also identified as an immediate way of increasing tourism to Western Australia, as well as including Asian food options and multi-language menus and resources.
China was the main driver of Asian tourists to Australia last year with 1.25 million visitors, however was eighth by nationality of all visitors to the nation's South West.
