The local tourism industry is being put on the road to recovery with the help of a marketing campaign encouraging people to tick driving The South West Edge off their bucket list.
The self-drive touring route stretching from Perth to Esperance is being promoted as an epic road trip to rival iconic drives such as Route 66 and the Great Ocean Road.
A suite of inspiring marketing collateral including new-look branding and a website featuring interactive mapping has been launched to support the tourism campaign and assist travellers to plan their journey.
The project is a collaborative effort by Australia’s South West, Australia’s Golden Outback and Destination Perth that has been made possible with $40,000 in funding through the State Government’s Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants.
The South West Development Commission is a founding partner in this initiative, and SWDC chief executive officer Mellisa Teede said the campaign is expected to assist the local tourism industry to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.
“This fresh marketing push is set to help put the tourism industry on the road to recovery by inspiring people to travel through the wonderful south west corner of Western Australia,” Ms Teede said.
“We hope that by increasing tourist traffic through our region, it will also lead to more people taking side trips to other wonderful places.
“We encourage people to Wander out Yonder and explore this wonderful part of the world, helping to support local jobs and businesses in the process.
“Even if you have visited the areas along The South West Edge before, we encourage you to plan a return – you’ll love some of the changes you will find as you rediscover these regions.
“We encourage you to start planning what could become your all-time greatest road trip.”
The main touring route heads along ‘The Edge’ from Perth to Esperance, returning via Hyden or Kalgoorlie.
Places on The South West Edge include Fremantle, Bunbury, Ferguson Valley, Busselton, Yallingup, Margaret River, Nannup, Manjimup, Pemberton, Northcliffe, Walpole, Denmark, Albany, Porongurup, Hopetoun, Ravensthorpe and Esperance.
For more information or to plan your journey, visit www.thesouthwestedge.com.au .