Tourism Western Australia is reinforcing its long-standing economic partnership with Singapore, citing strong trade figures, record visitor arrivals, and growing investment opportunities across energy transition, hospitality and infrastructure.
Speaking at the Western Australia Tourism Investment and Trade Evening at Raffles Hotel Singapore on Monday, Betty Yang, Western Australia’s investment and trade commissioner for ASEAN, highlighted the deep historical and commercial ties between the two regions. She noted that around the time Raffles Hotel was first built, Western Australia was already trading with Singapore, exporting sandalwood and agri-food in exchange for spices, rice and tea.
Yang said: “Today, Singapore is Western Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner with two-way trade valued at around A$12 billion (US$7.8 billion) – representing about 35 per cent of Australia’s total trade with Singapore.
“Singapore is also one of the largest sources of investment into Australia and Western Australia… Our government appreciates the importance of this long-standing and trusted relationship, and is committed to strengthening it.”
The economic relationship is underpinned by the two regions’ proximity, shared time zone and direct air links. It is further strengthened by a strong diaspora, with nearly 30 per cent of Australia’s Singaporean community living in Western Australia.
The state also welcomed a record 1.1 million international visitors in the year ending March 2026, generating more than A$3.3 billion in visitor spending. Singapore remains Western Australia’s second-largest international visitor market, contributing more than 126,000 visitors travelling for self-drive holidays and to visit friends and relatives.
Strong visitor demand has supported Western Australia’s accommodation sector, making it one of Australia’s best-performing hotel markets, with occupancy rates consistently between 80 and 95 per cent. To meet projected demand over the next decade, the state estimates it will require 3,000 to 3,500 new hotel rooms across Perth and regional destinations, including Margaret River, The Kimberley and Coral Coast.
Highlighting the commercial value of face-to-face engagement, Natalie Goddard, commercial operations manager at Sea West, said: “Events like these allow you to meet new people, have different discussions, and that kind of engagement directly leads to good business.”
Alex Ng, director of business development at Business Events Perth, added: “(Events like these are) about building connections that create long-term opportunities and exploring where Singapore and the ASEAN region’s expertise, capital, and global outlook align with Western Australia’s growth ambitions.”
