Travel bible Lonely Planet has named Western Australia as one of the 30 best places in the world to visit in 2023.
As part of their annual Best in Travel list, Lonely Planet identified WA as the perfect backdrop to numerous road trips, featuring:
- wide-open spaces;
- a strong connection to Aboriginal culture;
- city adventures;
- amazing reefs;
- beaches;
- gorges;
- lakes; and
- monoliths.
The travel bible named WA as one of the top 5 global journeys for 2023.
It singled out a 7-day foodie adventure from Perth to the South-West as one of the world's ultimate journeys. The trip included visiting Fremantle, Rockingham, Pemberton, Manjimup, Busselton, Bunbury, and Margaret River.
"Western Australia is one of those destinations that genuinely turns expectations on their head," Lonely Planet says of WA.
"The antidote to years of suffocating-feeling pandemic life is a visit to one of the planet's most serene and sparsely populated places.
"Lonely Planet writes, "WA covers more land than England, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany combined, yet is home to less than 1% of their collective population. Space, serenity and scenery: this is the holy trinity of WA."
For nearly 50 years, Lonely Planet has been one of the world's most trusted sources of travel knowledge, publishing over 145 million guidebooks covering 221 countries.
The Lonely Planet acknowledgement follows global media company FORBES naming Perth as one of the Top 10 places to visit in 2023. Perth was the only Australian destination recognised, with the capital noted for offering a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere and a unique water-focused lifestyle.
The twin accolades come shortly after the McGowan Government launched a new global tourism brand for the state, Walking On A Dream.
For more information, visit https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel
As stated by Tourism Minister Roger Cook:
"We all know that WA is an extraordinary place. Now the rest of the world is learning about our secret.
"Travellers are looking for authentic adventures they can't get anywhere else in the world. Western Australia is full of them.
"It's further proof of just how unique WA is that Lonely Planet has named WA as one of the world's top 30 destinations in 2023, and Perth to Margaret River as one of the top 5 journeys.
"The launch of our Walking on a Dream campaign is putting WA well and truly on the global radar."
