GOLF may seem a leisurely sport, but it is a major tourism driver in the Peel Region.
Meadow Springs Golf and Country Club staff are representative some of the 97,000 jobs tourism creates in WA.
Staff catering to tourism are the subject of a campaign Tourism Works, initiated by the Tourism Council of WA.
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READ NOW“A day spent working in hospitality is always very varied,” Meadow Springs Golf and Country Club general manager Scott Proctor said.
“In just one day this week, as well as our regular visitors, we catered for two corporate golf touring groups.
“One group was medical professionals from the eastern states, the other a mining corporate group.
“When you think about how much they spend on golf, accommodation, food and beverage during a golf vacation here, it adds up.”
The club has been operating since 1987 and has a full-time equivalent of 28 staff who live in the Peel area.
“Aside from our payroll, tourism puts dollars back into the local economy by the consumables we purchase, the taxes we pay, and the many other businesses our custom supports,” Mr Proctor said.
“I estimate we would return around $1.5 to $2 million per annum directly into the Peel economy.”
Mandurah and Peel Tourism Organisation chief executive Karen Priest said there were many jobs in Peel that were directly and indirectly related to the tourism sector.
“The region hosts over 550,000 visitors per annum and over 2.4 million day trippers whose revenue contributes to tourism operators and their employees but also to supermarkets, petrol stations and myriad businesses that the tourism-derived income supports.”