Tourism Western Australia has appointed Carolyn Turnbull as its new managing director, with Business Events Perth (BE Perth) welcoming the announcement.
Since joining Tourism WA in October last year as executive director – industry, aviation and markets, Turnbull has been instrumental in leading a network of international offices across 11 countries as well as managing airline relationships and distribution channels.
Turnbull brings a wealth of experience to the role, and said she was enthusiastic about working closely with key stakeholders, and continuing Tourism WA’s decades-long partnership supporting BE Perth.
“Pre-COVID, business travellers injected an estimated $2.5 billion into the WA economy,” Turnbull said.
“As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, WA has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape our visitor experience, and I look forward to working closely with our key stakeholders such as BE Perth as we continuing to promote it to the world as an amazing business events destination both domestically and internationally.”
BE Perth chair Bradley Woods congratulated Turnbull on her appointment and said her experience will be incredibly valuable to the business events industry.
“Carolyn’s experience working in international markets is incredibly valuable as we look to the future of our industry and the resumption of interstate and international travel, and we’re fortunate to have her at the helm of Western Australia’s State tourism body as we navigate the ongoing challenges of recovery,” Woods said.
BE Perth, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, secured 67 national and international business events in the 2020-21 financial year, thanks to funding from the State Government through Tourism WA. Set to occur in WA up to 2024, the events are expected to inject more than $54 million into the State’s economy.
Additionally, this funding enabled BE Perth to directly support 190 local business events, connecting more than 82,000 delegates across WA and assisting industry recovery and local jobs.
“Business events such as conferences play a major role in boosting business tourism, trade and investment in WA’s economy, as well as supporting local jobs and creating an avenue for knowledge exchange and collaboration,” Business Events Perth chief executive Gareth Martin said.
“We look forward to working alongside Ms Turnbull through the continued recovery of the business events and tourism industry, and continuing our close partnership with Tourism WA to bring these lucrative events to Australia’s west coast.”
