Recent discussion about Western Australia’s investment in major events, arts and culture has prompted an important conversation. Should more funding go towards sporting events? Should arts and cultural experiences receive greater investment? Are food, wine and regional festivals delivering enough value?

They’re all valid questions. But I think we may be asking the wrong one.

Visitors Don’t Think in Industries

As tourism professionals, we often separate accommodation, hospitality, arts, events, wineries, attractions and retail into different sectors. Visitors don’t.

When someone plans a holiday to the South West, they don’t build an itinerary around government departments or funding categories. They simply ask: “Is there enough here to make the trip worthwhile?”

That decision is influenced by hundreds of experiences working together. A festival might inspire the trip. A beautiful holiday home secures the booking. A winery extends the stay. A local café creates a memorable morning. A gallery becomes an unexpected highlight. A whale watching tour becomes the story they tell when they return home. Each business contributes to one visitor experience.

The Ripple Effect of Every Event

When an event succeeds, the benefits extend far beyond the event itself. Accommodation providers receive more bookings. Restaurants become busier. Local cafés serve more customers. Retail stores welcome additional visitors. Tour operators experience increased demand. Photographers, entertainers, transport providers and suppliers all benefit.

The event itself is only the beginning. Its real value lies in the economic activity it creates throughout the destination. This is why measuring attendance alone rarely tells the whole story. The more important question is: what happened because people came?

The South West Is Already Living This

Across the South West, we see this every year. Events such as wine festivals, food celebrations, sporting competitions and seasonal festivals create reasons to travel. Those reasons generate overnight stays. Overnight stays generate visitor spending. Visitor spending supports local businesses. Local businesses employ local people. One successful event can influence an entire regional economy. That’s the visitor economy in action.

Visibility Matters Just as Much as Investment

Funding creates opportunities. Visibility determines whether businesses benefit from them. Every year, visitors travel through destinations without discovering remarkable local businesses, not because those businesses lack quality, but because they lack visibility.

A boutique accommodation may offer an exceptional experience. A family-owned café may serve outstanding food. A small gallery may showcase extraordinary local artists. If visitors never discover them, those experiences cannot contribute to the visitor economy. Investment creates demand. Visibility helps businesses capture it. Both matter.

Stop Competing. Start Connecting.

One of the biggest opportunities for regional tourism isn’t deciding which industry deserves the largest budget. It’s helping industries work together.

Imagine if accommodation providers actively promoted nearby galleries. If wineries recommended local restaurants. If cafés highlighted upcoming events. If attractions encouraged overnight stays. If festivals introduced visitors to businesses they may never have discovered. Visitors don’t experience businesses in isolation. They experience destinations. The stronger those connections become, the stronger the destination becomes.

Everything Is Connected

At Unleashed, we often return to one simple idea. Everything is connected. Tourism isn’t just about attracting visitors. It’s about creating enough meaningful reasons for them to choose your destination, stay longer, spend more, and recommend it to others.

Whether investment supports sport, arts, culture, food, nature or regional events, the ultimate goal should remain the same: build destinations people choose. Because when destinations thrive, businesses thrive. And when businesses work together instead of competing for attention, everyone benefits.

The visitor economy has never belonged to one industry. It belongs to all of us.

By Navasha Semmens, Founder of The Unleashed Collective.