During peak season in a single day, the Broome Visitors Centre can have as many as 900 people through its doors. As user numbers steadily increase, the centre has clearly outgrown its current building.
“With visitor numbers growing at 10 per cent per annum, our small floor space and counter area quickly becomes jam packed,” said Vanessa Hayden, President Broome Visitor Centre Board of Management. “In total we receive about 130,000 visitors through the door a year. There is also limited space for centre staff that can number up to 14 in the season.
“Council has provided a new location for a new visitor centre which means our next building can be purpose built. We hope to construct a centre four times our current area to include additional facilities such as a meeting room, extra offices and adequate car and caravan parking.
“As well as providing the new site, Council is also contributing $500,000 to the project. “We have been allocated $550,000 from the Sustainable Regions Program and have been promised another $1 million from the State Government. We are close to our minimum target of $3.2 million which we believe is required to build the sort of centre that will be relevant for the next 10 years.”
Land provided by the Shire is in a more high profile location. Although the new site is just across the road from the current Visitors Centre, it will be more accessible particularly or self drive tourists as they enter Broome. It is also closer to Broome’s heritage Chinatown Precinct and remains in close proximity to the Airport.
Domestic and international visitor numbers are rapidly growing with people attracted by Broome’s famous beaches, beautiful sunsets, its pearling industry, fishing and aquatic activities, ecotourism ventures, climate and much more.
Its famous Cable Beach is being marketed as ‘the World’s Most Beautiful Beach’, and few who have visited Broome disagree with this claim. White sand and crystal clear blue water stretch as far as you can see. At sunset the sea turns sparkling gold as the sun disappears over the Indian Ocean leaving a magnificent crimson sky. A camel ride at dusk, a cruise on a pearl lugger or simply sitting at Cable Beach are just some of the ways people make the most of Broome’s famous sunsets.
“Council is very committed to tourism,“ said Shire President, Tom Vinnicombe. “Direct and indirect employment from this sector is a major contributor to our local and regional economy. Council applies a differential rate for tourist businesses and operations. All additional revenue raised from this is ploughed straight back into tourism marketing.”
