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• Visitor statistics

To view the interactive charts below in full screen mode, click  the arrow symbol in the bottom right corner of the chart.

L atest IVS and NVS Results

This factsheet tells the story of visitation to Western Australia in the year ending December 2023, including a comparison against pre-COVID levels. 

Download the latest Overview of Visitation to Western Australia - YE December 2023

Tourism Research Australia publish additional results and data tables on their website. To access this data visit Tourism Research Australia's  Data and Research  page.  Details on the IVS and NVS methodologies can also be found on Tourism Research Australia's Methodology page.

On 22 December 2021, Tourism WA amended our definition of spend. For more details, please see the Changing Visitor Spend factsheet.

Latest tourism statistics

• Economic contribution of tourism
• Useful links

Last Reviewed: 2024-03-27

Acknowledgement of Country Tourism Western Australia acknowledges Aboriginal peoples as the traditional custodians of Western Australia and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal West Australians and honour their continuing connection to Country, culture and community. We recognise and appreciate the invaluable contributions made by First Nations peoples across many generations in shaping Western Australia as a premier destination.

• Travel to Western Australia

All contents copyright © Government of Western Australia. All rights reserved.

SWT Grant Programs

State of Washington Tourism (SWT) offers multiple grant opportunities for tourism stakeholders. In addition to recurring grant programs such as Tourism Sustainability and Rural Tourism Support , SWT will also administer funds for exciting new grant programs in 2024-2025. These programs are made possible thanks to $3.5 million in Economic Development Administration (EDA) block grant funds from the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Eligible entities: Local governments, tribes, chambers of commerce, destination organizations, and other nonprofit organizations that support travel and tourism are welcome to apply for this grant. Note: Only tribal destinations/communities are eligible for tribal-focused grants.

Applications: Grant application periods open throughout the year. Once open, applicants can apply for individual grant programs via a secure online portal. Successful applicants will be notified within three weeks of the application closing date. View the WizeHive application portal FAQ here .

Webinars: SWT will hold webinars for each grant in the weeks leading up to the application period. The webinars will cover how to apply and the criteria by which the applications will be judged, along with providing more in-depth descriptions of the grant. An overview webinar was held on Dec. 13, 2023. A PDF version is also available.

See application dates and browse all SWT grant opportunities below. For questions, please contact Tamara Rice at  [email protected] .

Rural Tourism Marketing and Production

Rural Tourism Marketing and Production Grants will help communities create the assets they need to promote their destination to travelers to generate overnight stays and stimulate visitor spending. This grant supports rural and underserved communities. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $50,000 in grant funding for content creation for blog posts and articles, as well as the production of video and image assets. Assets may include photos, videos, and written content, as well as usage rights for the applicant and SWT. View the Webinar .

Application Period: Currently closed

Sports Incentivization

The Sports Incentivization Grants are intended to help nonprofit entities incentivize NEW sports tournaments/competitions that will bring overnight visitors to a destination to spur economic activity. Successful applicants will be able to reserve dollars from a pool to help pay down room nights or provide amenities pending a successful bid. If a bid is ultimately unsuccessful, those dollars will go back into the pool and be available to other applicants according to a ranked waitlist. The max grant ask is $30,000. View the Webinar .

Rural Tourism Research and Data

The primary purpose of the Rural Tourism Research and Data Grants is to discover and share critical information that can improve the efficiency, sustainability, and overall economic impact of the local tourism industry. It may also aim to support projects that analyze tourism trends, visitor behavior, cultural exchange, environmental impacts, and other topics that help inform policy decisions and support tourism growth in a region. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $25,000. View the Webinar .

Arts and Culture

The Arts and Culture grants are intended for the promotion and management of art shows, concerts, festivals and events, as well as museums, historic sites, and cultural institutes that drive overnight stays and visitor spending in destination communities. These grants aim to boost the local economy by attracting overnight visitors who are interested in experiencing the artistic and cultural offerings of a people and a place while mitigating any negative impacts on residents, social services, and public infrastructure. The max grant ask is $30,000. View the webinar.

Application Period: March 15 – April 15, 2024

Learn More & Apply

Indigenous Tourism Marketing and Production

Indigenous Tourism Marketing and Production grants will help tribal communities create the assets they need to promote their destination to travelers to generate overnight stays and stimulate visitor spending. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $50,000 in grant funding for content creation for blog posts and articles, as well as production of video and image assets. Grant applicants need to budget for long-term usage rights for their organization and SWT. View the webinar.

Application Period: April 1 – 30, 2024

Rural Tourism Support Program

The RTS program focuses on long-term, sustainable destination development for underserved communities. It implements a community tourism approach that includes stakeholder surveys, community workshops, priority projects, and strategic planning from a steering committee. Upon completion of the program, stakeholders are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from SWT and other funding sources to support priority projects. View the webinar.

Technical Assistance

The Technical Assistance Grant will subsidize the cost of industry-specific expertise for tourism-related projects that stimulate economic development for destination communities. Eligible projects for grant funding may include design plans for tourism infrastructure, marketing expertise, workforce training programs, and other consulting services for tourism pursuits. Washington-based tourism stakeholders may request up to $15,000 in grant funding based on project eligibility.

Application Period: April 15 – May 14, 2024

Webinar: April 3 at 10 a.m. | Register Here

Tourism Regeneration

This grant is intended to foster safer, more inclusive, and sustainable visitor experiences across the state and drive overnight visitation to rural and underserved communities. Project eligibility for Tourism Regeneration Grants ranges significantly from pedestrian and bicyclist safety along roadways to tourism marketing to disaster and climate adaptation planning. They may also include but are not limited to outdoor recreation, business and creative districts, and main street associations in Washington. Max grant ask is $50,000.

Application Period: Sept. 2 – 30, 2024

Tribal Rural Tourism Support Program

The Tribal RTS program focuses on long-term, sustainable destination development for tribal communities. It implements a community tourism approach that includes stakeholder surveys, community workshops, priority projects, and strategic planning from a steering committee. Upon completion of the program, stakeholders are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from SWT and other funding sources to support priority projects identified in the community workshops.

Application Period: Oct. 1 – 31, 2024

Tourism Sustainability

The Tourism Sustainability Grant is a recurring grant offered by SWT that aims to foster safer, more inclusive, and sustainable visitor experiences in Washington. Applicants may request up to $30,000 in grant funding based on project eligibility. Project eligibility may include capital projects, new festivals and events, outdoor recreation, wayfinding improvements, and more.

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• Australias Golden Outback
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• Experience Perth

Broome and the North West

Exmouth and the coral coast, esperance and the golden outback, perth and surrounds, margaret river and the south west, aquatic and coastal, food and wine, nature & wildlife, welcome to the tourism western australia library.

The Tourism Western Australia Library houses a collection of images, videos and stock footage showcasing destinations and tourism experiences in Western Australia. It also contains logos, graphics and other branding tools. The library aims to provide the tourism industry, travel media, state government agencies, convention and event agencies with a range of visual assets that can be used to promote Western Australia as an extraordinary holiday destination.

Please note assets can only be downloaded by registered users and some assets have restricted use due to copyright licensing.

Already Registered?

Please enter your log-in details at the top right.

If you are a new visitor to the Tourism Western Australia Library, register now, allowing up to two business days for approval. Be sure that you read our Terms & Conditions

• Azerbaijani
• Chinese (Simplified)
• Chinese (Traditional)
• Haitian Creole
• Kinyarwanda
• Kurdish (Kurmanji)
• Kurdish (Soranî)
• Odia (Oriya)
• Scots Gaelic

WA Visitor Economy Strategy launches dream decade for tourism

• Western Australia Visitor Economy Strategy 2033 (WAVES 2033) launched today
• Strategy outlines 10-year plan for sustainable growth of WA's visitor economy
• WAVES 2033 aims to elevate WA as a world-class tourism destination, and increase visitor spend to $25 billion by 2033
• WA Government has committed $530 million to tourism for next four years

The Cook Government has today launched its ambitious 10-year roadmap for the future of the State's visitor economy, signalling the beginning of a 'dream decade' for the tourism industry.

The WA Visitor Economy Strategy 2033 (WAVES 2033) outlines a new vision for Western Australia 'to be recognised as a world-class destination that immerses people in its unique cultures, communities, and environment.'

Building on the industry's current momentum, the Strategy also sets an aspirational financial goal for visitor spend to grow to $25 billion per annum by 2033.

Last financial year, visitor spend was $16.8 billion, with the sector responsible for more than 89,000 jobs.

WAVES 2033 was developed with consultation across 14 WA Government agencies, and with more than 25 industry stakeholders, with representatives invited to offer their insights on the challenges and opportunities faced by the WA tourism industry.

Growth opportunities were identified and categorised into six goal areas, including Aboriginal tourism, accommodation and attractions, aviation, destination brand, events, and high performing industry, each comprising key initiatives that will drive sustainable growth of the tourism industry.

These initiatives include:

• Attracting new inbound aviation routes and boosting regional tourism with affordable airfares;
• Driving private sector investment in accommodation and attractions;
• Investing in events infrastructure to deliver more leisure, sports, and business events;
• Developing Aboriginal cultural centres, and making WA Australia's Aboriginal tourism leader;
• Enticing high yield travellers and international students by dialling up global marketing and digital offerings; and
• Growing the tourism and hospitality workforce, harnessing innovative technologies, and expanding sustainable and inclusive tourism experiences.

WAVES 2033 will be implemented across Government Departments, led by Tourism WA, and in close collaboration with other Government agencies.

Delivery will be aligned with the Strategy's guiding principles to be sustainable, inclusive, collaborative, and innovative.

The Cook Government has committed $530 million to Tourism WA over the next four years to implement WAVES 2033 and deliver target outcomes.

WAVES 2033 can be viewed at: tourism.wa.gov.au .

Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti:

"We are committed to creating a world-class tourism destination that combines commerce, community, and culture, and brings them together in a way that engages with our incredible natural assets.

"The aim of WAVES 2033 is to sustainably drive our State's visitor economy to even greater levels of success, which will bring billions into our State and create jobs for Western Australians.

"WAVES 2033 is a focused strategy that has identified areas of major growth potential, which will contribute towards a significant uplift in the visitor economy over the next ten years.

"The record budget of $530 million over the next four years demonstrates our commitment to tourism and the visitor economy, and will enhance marketing, aviation, destination development, and events activity across the State."

Hon. Rita Saffioti

Acknowledgement of country.

The Government of Western Australia acknowledges the traditional custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all members of the Aboriginal communities and their cultures; and to Elders both past and present.

Thurston County, Washington

Thurston County Washington

​Thurston County, Washington , is located at the southern end of Puget Sound in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Majestic Mount Rainier and the rugged Cascade Mountains are nearby to the east, while the Pacific Coast is just an hour's drive to the west. Home to more than 260,000 residents, Thurston County is 60 miles south of Seattle and 100 miles north of Portland, Oregon.

Following are links to information that we hope will be helpful to you as a visitor to our area.

City of Lacey

City of Tumwater

County History in Pictures

Capitol (Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater) Visitor Information

City of Olympia

Direct Sales Farm Map

Evergreen State College

Experience Olympia & Beyond

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Northwest Washington Tourism Association

Olympic Flight Museum

Reasons to Love Olympia

Saint Martin's University

South Puget Sound Community College

Thurston County Chamber of Commerce

Thurston County Fair

Thurston County GeoData Center

Thurston County Parks and Recreation

Thurston County History in Photos

Thurston County Visitor Information

Thurston Here to There - Regional Travel Guide

Timberland Regional Library

Washington State Department Of Transportation Bicycle Hot Line, (360) 705-7277

Washington State History Museum

Washington State Capitol

Washington State Ferries

Washington State Fishing

Washington State Parks

Washington State Tourism

Washington State Traffic Information

Weather at the Olympia Airport

Highlighted Attractions

About Thurston County

Agritourism / Bountiful Byway

7 Wonders of Thurston County

Multiple women online say they were punched while walking around New York City

Several women have come forward on social media sharing incidents in which they said they were punched by men while they walking the streets of downtown Manhattan in broad daylight in the last month.

Multiple videos — which were uploaded to TikTok — have picked up traction in the last week, with women online sharing their safety concerns in comments and reply videos. One woman said she was assaulted walking home from class. Another said she was assaulted on her way to work. A third woman said she was attacked walking her dog. At least two of the women described suspects with similar characteristics. 

New York police said they made an arrest in one of the incidents and are investigating another. While police wouldn’t confirm that the incidents described in the TikTok videos are those they are investigating, they shared that they’re looking into cases that are very similar to accounts posted on social media.  

Officials said it’s unclear whether the two incidents they are investigating are connected. 

The videos have circulated amid widespread perceptions in the U.S. that crime is rising, despite recent FBI data that suggests it decreased last year . 

Concerns over public safety have continued to loom in New York City. A series of recent high-profile crimes in the subway system prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul to send National Guard members to some of the busiest stations.

In February, police reported a decrease in shootings, murders and other crimes, like grand larceny, as opposed to February of last year. However, there was a 3.6% uptick in felony assault, with 1,968 incidents reported to police last month. According to crime statistics for this past week , misdemeanor assault is up 10.3% from this time last year, and it has gone up 15.7% in the past two years. 

A police spokesperson declined to answer any additional questions about the recent assault incidents, including whether they represent an uptick in violent crime against women in the city or whether the police department is taking any additional measures to ensure their safety.

Sarah Harvard, 30, was among the women who shared her experience online after she saw other women post videos. 

Harvard, who posted Tuesday on X , said she was walking to her comedy gig on the Lower East Side when she was punched in the back of the head near the Delancey Street and Essex Street station the evening of March 19. 

“I was not on my phone. I was walking somewhere, and I got attacked from behind,” she told NBC News. “So it’s really violating that I didn’t see it coming and there was nothing I could’ve done, really, to prevent it from happening.”

She described experiencing a “spiky pain, throbbing feeling” in her head as she was walking home after the incident. The rest of the night, she said, she had nausea, headaches, dizziness and blurry vision.

Harvard said she initially didn’t go to the police because she thought that it was an isolated incident and that officials might brush it off. Since she learned that more women have come forward online to say they’ve been assaulted, she said, she plans to file a police report. 

Since the attack, Harvard said, she is struggling with feeling unsafe in the city she calls home.

“What’s really unbearable is that general never-ending feeling now of feeling unsafe and feeling constantly alert, constantly looking over my shoulder,” she said. “This anxiety is manifesting physically, too. I slept last night for two hours; the night before, I slept for four hours. I’m having trouble breathing, and my chest is getting really tight.”

In their TikTok videos, women have echoed similar sentiments describing their interactions with their alleged assailants. 

A woman said she was walking out of the Times Square subway station on Saturday when a man came up to her and punched her in the head.

The woman said she was able to capture video of the man, as he was walking away. Police said the 25-year-old woman was attacked on 7th Avenue and West 42 Street. Police publicized in a poster how the suspect was wanted for assault.

The woman said on TikTok the "traumatic" experience will stick with her the "rest of my life."

"We are always cautious about walking at night, now we have to be cautious about walking in broad daylight," she said.

Mikayla Toninato, a Parsons fashion design student, also shared a TikTok video saying she was punched in the face while leaving class in Manhattan as she was looking down at her phone and texting.

“Out of nowhere this man just came up and hit me in the face," she said in the clip, with a bruise visible under one of her eyes.

“He hit me right on my cheekbone. This doesn’t hurt as bad as the concussion does,” she said in an interview aired Thursday on NBC's "TODAY" show.

Dealing with the aftermath has also been emotionally taxing.

"It’s been really really hard," she said. "I think it hits me in waves. A lot of crying because it’s been really scary."

Another woman said she was walking Monday when a man punched her in the face, causing a big lump to develop on her head.

“You guys, I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face,” she said tearfully in a TikTok video . “Oh, my God, it hurts so bad. I can’t even talk.”

The woman didn’t say where exactly she was when she was assaulted. NBC News conducted a geolocation of where she was walking in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. 

Police said an incident happened at 10:20 a.m. in the area of West 16th Street and 7th Avenue when “an unknown individual hit her in the head.”

“The victim fell to the ground and suffered injuries to the left side of her face. The victim was treated at a local medical facility,” police said in a report shared with NBC News.

She shared an update to TikTok in which she said she was looking at her phone when a man walking a dog assaulted her.

“There was so much room on the sidewalk, and, like, literally nobody was around, and I guess this man — I don’t know if he punched me or if he elbowed me. I literally passed out,” she said. “So I don’t really remember, but I think he just was really mad that my head was down.”

Skiboky Stora, 40, of Brooklyn, was arrested Wednesday on an assault charge in connection with the incident, police said.

Stora has sought public office in New York since 2021, public records show. He participated in a New York City mayoral debate in 2021. In 2022, he filed a handwritten petition to get on the ballot for New York governor. Last year, records show, Stora ran for the District 9 seat on the New York City Council.

Stora and the suspect wanted in the assault outside the Times Square subway station on Saturday, do not appear to be the same person.

Over a week before the Monday assault, in an area just over a mile south from where that victim was, another woman reported getting punched by a man who apologized before he hit her.

“I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk,” the woman said in a TikTok video . “He goes ‘Sorry’ and then punches me in the head.”

Police say an incident happened at around 11:48 a.m. March 17 while a woman was walking her dog in the area of Kenmare and Mulberry streets. 

“No injuries were reported as a result of this incident,” police said in a report.

In an update posted to her TikTok account , the woman addressed questions she received about what she was doing leading up to the assault.

“I wasn’t looking down at my phone,” she said. “I was just literally across the street from my building walking my dog to the dog park. I had seen the man. He was, like, slightly walking toward me, and I didn’t think anything of it. And then he says, ‘Sorry,’ and hits me and was immediately gone.”

She said a woman who witnessed the assault came over to help her. 

Neither of the women who posted on TikTok responded to requests for comment. Several others who also posted videos didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Many women online have since expressed that seeing the videos of other women sharing their alleged experiences have left them feeling uneasy.

“I have never felt so unsafe in the city than I do now,” reality TV personality Melinda Melrose, who was on the show “Too Hot to Handle,” said in a TikTok video . “This is another reason why I packed all my things out of my apartment, put them in storage and I’m moving. I do not got time to end up on the news and become someone’s victim.”

Breaking news reporter

Washington DC Tourism Information

Top of content

There are many events and attractions to potentially visit while in the Washington DC area. Below are links to several, subdivided by type. Dates, times and venues are subject to frequent change, so please contact the source of the event or attraction before making final plans.

Capitol Hill

National mall and memorial parks, smithsonian, more museums, white house, historic homes, other points of interest, getting around.

• U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
• Map of Capitol Grounds
• Virtual Tour of Capitol
• Library of Congress
• Supreme Court of the United States
• United States Botanic Garden

Return to Top

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Memorial
• Jefferson Memorial
• Korean War Veterans Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Washington Monument
• World War II Memorial
• African Art Museum
• Air and Space Museum
• Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
• American Art Museum
• American History Museum
• American Indian Museum
• Anacostia Community Museum
• Arts and Industries Building
• Freer Gallery of Art
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
• National Zoo
• Natural History Museum
• Portrait Gallery
• Postal Museum
• Renwick Gallery
• Sackler Gallery
• Smithsonian Institution Building, The Castle
• Department of the Interior Museum
• Folger Shakespeare Library
• Ford's Theatre & Lincoln Museum
• George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum
• The National Archives Museum
• National Building Museum
• National Gallery of Art
• National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall
• National Museum of American Jewish Military History
• Phillips Collection
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• whitehouse.gov
• Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
• Carlyle House
• Cedar Hill, Home of Frederick Douglass
• Claude Moore Colonial Farm
• Dumbarton Oaks
• Gunston Hall
• Hillwood Museum & Gardens: Marjorie Merriweather Post Mansion
• Lincoln's Cottage
• Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
• Oatlands Historic House and Gardens
• Stratford Hall Plantation
• Sully Plantation
• Arena Stage
• Carter Barron Amphitheatre
• Discovery Theater
• Folger Theater
• Ford's Theatre
• John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Merriweather Post Pavilion
• The National Theater
• Shakespeare Theatre Company
• Studio Theatre
• Warner Theater
• Washington Ballet
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Major League Sports

• Capitals (NHL)
• Mystics (WNBA)
• Nationals (MLB)
• DC United (MLS)
• Washington Football Team (NFL)
• Wizards (NBA)
• Arlington National Cemetery
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Hall of the States Building, State Services Organization
• National Aquarium
• National Arboretum
• National Cathedral
• Naval Observatory
• Navy Memorial and Visitors Center
• Old Post Office Tower
• State Department's Diplomatic Reception Rooms
• Voice of America
• WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority)
• Arlington ART
• DC Circulator
• Fairfax Connector
• MTA Maryland Commuter Bus
• VRE (Virginia Railway Express)
• MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter)
• Metro Bus Maps
• Metro Rail Map
• National Mall Museum Map
• National Park Service Maps of DC Sites
• White House Area Map

Mexican government blames loose rail switch clamps for recent Maya Train derailment

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government said Tuesday that a loose railway fitting caused a train car to derail on the president’s pet project, a tourist rail route known as the Maya Train .

The derailment on March 25 proved embarrassing for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who views the $20 billion railway as one of his signature building projects . No one was injured in the mishap.

Critics have said the project, which runs in a loop around the Yucatan peninsula, is wasteful and has damaged the environment . But others have expressed concern about the haste with which it is being built. López Obrador wants to finish it before he leaves office Sept. 30.

Illustrating the problem, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that the rail switch involved in the accident is eventually designed to be operated automatically.

While the automated system is not yet in place, the president wanted part of the line running anyway. So the switch — which shunts train cars onto another track — has to be manually loosened, moved and returned to its original position by hand.

In one of those operations, someone apparently didn’t tighten the fitting down again.

Sandoval said “this is what was found, that this clamp wasn’t tightened down.”

He said that the company which made the trains, Alstom, and the company that built that stretch of the rail line, Azvindi, “are analyzing and reviewing the amount of damage” done in the mishap.

López Obrador ordered the project built through a stretch of jungle, despite warnings from activists about the damage that would do to the sensitive limestone caves on the Yucatan peninsula.

The president promised to build an elevated platform for the rail line to avoid crushing the caves, but the concrete and steel pilings to support that were punched right into the caves.

In March, activists published photos of those steel and cement pilings being driven directly through the roofs of the caves.

The network of caves, sinkhole lakes and underground rivers along Mexico’s Caribbean coast are both environmentally sensitive and have been found to hold some of the oldest human remains in North America.

They provide the region’s only fresh water source, because there are no surface rivers on the flat, limestone peninsula.

Because the caves were dry some 10,000 years ago, humans and animals used them before they were mostly flooded at the end of the last Ice Age about 8,000 years ago, essentially preserving the relics from being disturbed.

In December, López Obrador inaugurated another, partly finished section of the train to the north and east, between Cancun and the colonial city of Campeche.

The 950-mile line runs in a rough loop around the Yucatan peninsula and it’s meant to connect beach resorts and archaeological sites.

The train was partly built by the Mexican army and will be run by the armed forces, to whom López Obrador has entrusted more projects than any other president in at least a century.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america