FACTBase Bulletin 20 - Tourist Perspectives of Perth in Social Media: A Comparative Assessment

The purpose of this Bulletin is to investigate the perceptions of city vitality in Perth through an analysis of discussion on the website virtualtourist.com.

Key Findings

• Social media has opened up diverse conversations in real time about tourists’ personal experiences, thought, and opinions of travel. These conversations are important as they help shape and contribute to the decision-making process of future tourists.
• Perth lags slightly behind Brisbane in terms of its diversity and quality of attractions.
• Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide perform well in terms of transport and accessibility, however Perth lags behind both cities.
• While Perth was generally well regarded in terms of its nightlife and entertainment, it lacked stand out features, where Adelaide received overwhelming praise for the Adelaide Festival.
• To improve Perth’s competitiveness, attention should be placed around increasing major events, improving customer service, and improving safety based on online conversations. Nightlife, CAT busses and the rail network, and natural amenities and the surrounding region provided aspects where Perth is doing considerably well in.