Funding to the Perth Convention Bureau (PCB) will be reduced by 28 per cent over the periods 2016/17 and 2018/19, the state treasurer for Western Australia, Mike Nahan has announced.
The cut comes in spite of last year's delegate expenditure exceeding the PCB’s annual target of A$104 million, at A$107.9 million. According to the bureau, the projected figures for 2015 are also on track to beat targets.
“This substantial reduction of funding is discouraging, particularly in the context of PCB being one of the highest performing convention bureaus in Australia with an ROI to WA State Government investment of 31:1 – double that of its east coast capital city bureau competitors”, said PCB’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Beeson.
“In view of the increased convention space that will accompany the new hotels both under construction and proposed for Perth, this is not the time for the Government to be cutting back on the marketing of Western Australia as a Business Events destination”, said PCB Chairman Ian Laurance.
The PCB was established in 1972 and is responsible for driving the business events sector in Western Australia, which represents a third of the country's landmass.
