Tourists spend $7 billion in WA TOURISTS to Western Australia spent more than $7 billion there last year, despite the continuing economic struggle in Europe reducing the number of visitors from the UK. WA Tourism's annual report has revealed seven million visitors to Australia spent at least one night in WA in 2012/13, an increase of nearly eight per cent on the previous year. More than 14 million day trip visitors added to the spend. $88 flights to Perth But Tourism Research Australia said, while international visitors to WA grew, the increase was below the national average due to the UK, Europe and the US still being ``economically weak" as tourism markets. Inbound visitors to the state rose by 2.3 per cent, which was attributable to higher-than-expected growth from interstate tourists. 27/08/2011 NEWS: 27/08/2011 NEWS: NEWS Vox Pop Kings Park Photo Stewart Allen Pic. Allen Stewart Pic. Stewart Allen Source: Tourism WA Chairman Peter Prendiville also said there had been a reduction of business travel, as many of WA's major resource projects moved from construction to production phases. The report says the major issues facing the tourism industry remains the shortage of hotel rooms in Perth, with an additional 1650 rooms needed to meet targets. Barrack St, 2013. The Bell Tower precinct, looking up Barrack Street from the Swan River. "Encouraging the development of additional hotel rooms in Perth remains a priority," Tourism WA chief executive Stephanie Buckland said. Ms Buckland said Perth's Elizabeth Quay development was a major opportunity for hotel development, with strong speculation that the Ritz Carlton group would soon be revealed as the winner of the race to develop a hotel at the riverside site.