Published on : Thursday, February 14, 2019
The Centre chief executive David Kerr said close to $17 million in tourism cash was expected each year as the centre attracted visitors from across the globe.
While the centre has been open since December, Premier Mark McGowan will cut the ribbon tomorrow night following months of finishing touches and fine-tuning of the $12.3 million redevelopment.
The ribbon cutting event will be followed by a jam-packed Dolphin Festival for the entire community across Saturday and Sunday. Mr Kerr said the long-term benefits of the facility were endless and following the State Government’s announcement of direct flights between Tokyo and Perth, the centre was likely to see an increase in Japanese tourists along with other international visitors. Over the more recent times there has been a drop off in visitation down to our centre from Japan and I think that is due to decreased flight activity. I am really expecting there will be a great opportunity for us to leverage off of those direct flights and to get some significant additional visitation from Japan. Mr Kerr said the big influx of tourists would also bring substantial economic growth to Bunbury as well as the broader Geographe region.
Australia’s South West chief executive Catrin Allsop said the centre was a great attraction to get people to the city before they explored the entire region further.
“It is always beneficial to have a hub in a location as people will be drawn to coming to the Dolphin Discovery Centre and from there will seek other activities in the wider Geographe area,” she said.
Ms Allsop will travel to Japan next week to promote key experiences and said the centre would be highlighted as a major attraction.
Now that the Dolphin Discovery Centre has been redeveloped, it offers a premium wildlife experience to international tourists and they are definitely seeking those close interactions with the wildlife.
They have found an increase in interest in the Bunbury region and think that is the new foreshore as a whole and not just the Dolphin Discovery Centre redevelopment.