'Massive' drop in tourists this winter hits WA's south

Tourism businesses worried about drop in winter visitors in WA's south Wed 22 Jul 2026 at 9:25am In short: Businesses in WA's Great Southern are concerned about the lack of tourists this winter. The region is usually popular this time of year for whale watching, hiking and camping. What's next? Australia's South West National Tourism Organisation acknowledges the drop in tourist numbers this winter and says it is working with the industry to encourage year-long visitation. The winter tourism industry is taking a hit in Western Australia's south, with businesses reporting a noticeable downturn. In Denmark, 420 kilometres south of Perth, business owner Christine Weston said the region had seen a significant decline in visitor numbers. "I can confirm visitor numbers are certainly down," Ms Weston said. Ms Weston said there had been a few last-minute bookings, but she and several other accommodation providers told the ABC the decline in tourist numbers was impacting revenue. "If there's a lot of availability, the prices automatically get adjusted down," she said. "So it is affecting our revenue." Ms Weston said she believed many people were not booking holidays too far in advance due to the global economic uncertainty. "With the diesel fuel supply being a little bit insecure as well … I think there's just a bit of uncertainty in the world and people don't want to commit too far out," she said. "A couple of years ago, people would walk out from a Christmas holiday and book their next Christmas holiday. They're certainly not doing that anymore." Drop in visitors Winter can be the best time of year to see whales migrate off the coast of Albany, 400km south of Perth. Tour operator Aaron Franaigh said this year, fewer people were coming to see the spectacle. "Everyone's holding on to their money. No-one's forward-looking at the moment," he said. Mr Franaigh said the "massive" drop was a worry for his business. "Normally for school holidays, we're a full boat every single day, and we're sort of at half capacity now. We've had a couple of full days, but we are mainly at half capacity," he said. "Because it is our major source of income for the boat to stay here, it is a bit of a worry. What can you do?" In the neighbouring town of Bremer Bay, Community Resource and Visitor Centre manager Fiona Murray was also worried about the impact on local businesses. "This year seems to be very similar to years where we've had COVID," she said. "With everything that's going on around the world, the fuel prices are definitely a big issue." Paul Zip, who runs a whale-watching charter further north in Augusta, has noticed the drop in tourists in the coastal town. "I've been doing this business for 18 years and sitting at the harbour here in Augusta you'd look out, and there'd be caravans and trailers and campervans and people just wandering around, but they're not here at the moment," he said. Cost of living pressures Sophie Zalokar, manager at Australia's South West National Tourism Organisation, acknowledged it was a "challenging time for all" in the region. "Visitor numbers across the Great Southern have softened over winter, reflecting cost-of-living pressures, fuel prices and broader economic uncertainty," she said. "We are continuing to work with industry, government and local partners to encourage year-round visitation … and remain confident in the region's resilience and long-term visitor appeal." Tour boat operator Mr Franaigh also hoped the downturn would be short-lived. "All I can do is offer the best tour that we can and just hope that word of mouth keeps us going." [Image text:] AARON ALBAN WHALE TOURS SALA-DAR