Western Australia has been witnessing a rising trend in women-only tourism in the past six to 12 months. The development echoes a broader global movement towards creating safer, more inclusive travel opportunities tailored specifically for women.
“This year marked the launch of four innovative women-only travel products, reflecting a strong demand for experiences that allow women to connect deeply with both themselves and nature,” said Sueanne McCumstie, acting lead public relations manager, Tourism Western Australia.
“It aligns with the global trend of inclusivity and accessible tourism for all – including LGBTI, people living with accessibility needs and people seeking exclusive experiences,” she added.
Among the new offerings is a Bardi and Jawi Cultural Experience, on the Dampier Peninsula north of Broome. It invites women to explore the ‘secret women’s business’ of local indigenous women through activities like fishing, oystering, and bush tucker gathering. The four-night experience provides an immersive look into the roles and skills of indigenous women.
Another product is the Reddell Beach Walk and Talk Experiences by a local elder from Jarndu Ngaank Tours. Guests are introduced to significant cultural ceremonies, including a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony, and Water Ceremony designed to blend education with personal healing and well-being through cultural insights.
In Margaret River, Swimming Women has expanded its offerings with a tour that takes participants through scenic swims in rock pools, rivers, and the Indian Ocean, exploring unique aquatic spots with regional stories and nourishing food.
The fourth tour is a Yorgars basket-weaving workshop which also promotes female empowerment through artistic expression through understanding the matriarchal legacies of the indigenous Nyungar people.
These developments were highlighted at a media event where nearly 80 international media members were updated on the latest tourism developments across Australia, before the launch of the Australian Tourism Exchange 2024 in Melbourne today (May 20).
This year’s event has attracted over 1,500 seller delegates and 700 global buyers, marking a 10 per cent increase in buyer participation from last year.
A novel Porsche experience venue, new dining and entertainment destinations, and popular-culture attractions are among the many fresh tourism draws that have been lined up for visitors to Singapore and locals alike.
Starting the end of May, Singapore will see new dining, arts, entertainment and retail facilities mushrooming on the grounds of the former Nan Chiau High School, which is being transformed by The Lo & Behold Group into a vibrant and creative cluster for locals and visitors to enjoy.
The riverside destination, CQ @ Clarke Quay, has also been revitalised, launching on April 26 with a new positioning that underlines its all-day welcome. An asset enhancement initiative has expanded the destination’s range of day activities and nightlife attractions for locals and tourists. There are now about 60 dining, retail and lifestyle concepts in CQ @ Clarke Quay, half of which are new to the destination, such as Swee Lee Clarke Quay, which houses a bar and café, an artist lounge, vinyl listening stations, a creator corner with music editing set-ups, and a large hall that doubles as a dining space and performance venue; and Home Singapore, where brunch is served in the day and live music flows out at sundown. More dining venues and activity centres will launch in the coming months.
Later this year, the ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands will unveil The World of Studio Ghibli, an immersive exhibition celebrating some of the studio’s most iconic animation films while Harry Potter fans can head to Resorts World Sentosa to relive his enchanted journey in life through The Harry Potter: Visions of Magic, an interactive immersive experience presented by NEON and Universal.
A highlight in Singapore’s attraction pipeline is the Porsche Experience Centre Singapore, which will open in Changi by 2027, next to the Changi Exhibition Centre and 20 minutes from Changi Airport. It will be the world’s first regional Porsche Experience Centre, featuring a dynamic handling track over two kilometres in length for demonstrating the prowess of two- and four-door Porsche sports cars, an aftersales facility, and a range of activities for families and experiences for car enthusiasts both locally and within the South-east Asian region.
Meanwhile, two MoUs were inked last week to reflect deeper commitment among partners to enliven Singapore’s Marina Bay and Sentosa precincts.
Further, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will issue a call in the coming months for a tender for the development of a wellness attraction at the southern coast of Singapore, on a plot located close to the Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay.
Melissa Ow, chief executive of STB, said this development “will enable Singapore to capture new opportunities in the wellness travel space and contribute towards greater vibrancy of the Marina South precinct”.
“While details for this tender will only be revealed later, we hope that this would be an attraction that offers a myriad of different wellness experiences, such as therapeutic arts, light-and-frequency-based types of therapy, complimentary health facilities, and indoor and outdoor water- and equipment-based types of exercises. I think this will allow Singapore to tap into the global wellness movement,” she shared.
These developments will further augment the city-state’s tourism offerings, which have continued to evolve and advance as Singapore works towards its Tourism 2040 goals, of which one vision is for the country to be a world-class destination with diverse, unique and inspiring experiences for visitors.
Singapore’s two integrated resorts announced expansion plans earlier on. Resorts World Sentosa will present Illumination’s Minion Land at Universal Studios Singapore and the new Singapore Oceanarium, an expansion of the S.E.A. Aquarium. Marina Bay Sands is adding on another tower and a 15,000-seat entertainment arena, which will be ready in July 2029.
These new and refreshed activities and experiences are as much meant for Singapore residents as they are for tourists, Ow told TTG Asia.
“It was great to see this great outpouring of love from domestic visitors for our tourism businesses during the pandemic. Locals have continued to embrace and participate in many of the tourism, leisure and lifestyle activities that our industry partners have put out. This pride in our local offerings will remain, and I hope more of our new stakeholders and partners will bear in mind and think of the accessibility of their products and services to our domestic audience,” said Ow.