- Western Australia secures 2022 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships
- Perth to host thousands of surf lifesavers for national event
- 2018 event attracted more than 8,500 visitors to Scarborough in April, who spent $15.8m
Western Australia will again play host to one of the world's largest ocean sports events when the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships ('Aussies') returns in 2022.
Sponsored by the State Government, through Tourism WA, the Aussies is an annual event which sees Australia's 311 surf clubs come together to compete in more than 400 beach and ocean events.
In addition to competitors, thousands more visitors are expected to attend as spectators and support crew.
This year's event attracted 8,578 visitors to Scarborough - more than 5,000 of which were competitors - who spent $15.8 million during the event. Prior to 2018, the last time the Aussies was held in WA was in 2014.
Supporting mass participation events forms an important part of Tourism WA's Two-Year Action Plan, which aims to grow the number of visitors to the State.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"The Aussies is a perfect example of the type of mass participation event we're aiming to attract to Western Australia.
"Not only does it attract thousands of competitors but they are often accompanied by a parent or other support crew, which means more visitors to WA.
"We're hoping to see another great turnout and an even bigger boost to the economy when the championships return in 2022."
As stated by Tourism Minister Paul Papalia:
"Events like this add vibrancy to the State, attract visitors and help raise the profile of WA through media exposure.
"They help us attract interstate visitors to Perth and showcase the city's transformation into a more vibrant and affordable destination.
"This is a key goal of the Government's Two-Year Action Plan for tourism, which aims to boost visitors to the State, encourage them to stay longer and disperse further regionally."
