Unified voice to speak for Broome's future

A think-tank has been established as part of a radical move to create a unified voice on the future of tourism in Broome.

The Broome Tourism Industry Development Group will be regarded as a key barometer and will be recognised by the State Government.

It will be represented by a broad section of agencies, including Tourism WA, Australia's North West Tourism, Kimberley Development Commission and the Shire of Broome.

ANWT chair Chris Ellison said his members had been expressing the need for a more cohesive approach on shaping and predicting the industry "for quite some time".

Using an independent consultant, the project will commence in early 2014 and involve a range of meetings, public forms, online surveys and interviews.

It will be delivered in the second quarter of 2014.

"This exciting initiative is a great step forward for tourism in Broome and one in which everyone can put forward their views," Mr Ellison said.

The group will supersede the Broome Gateway Committee, which was established in 2002 primarily to attract an international air service to Broome from Singapore as part of the Browse Basin development.

The prospect of this happening disappeared when Woodside pulled out of James Price Point, giving cost factors as the reason.

Outgoing Gateway Committee chair and chief executive of Broome International Airport Nick Belyea said the new group would be better co-ordinated because it represented and a broad section of the tourism industry.

"Together with key stakeholders and Government offers, this provides the opportunity for the industry to be one voice and to work on important short and long-term projects that will benefit tourism in Broome," he said.

The initiative is being supported by a wide range of organisations, including Broome Visitor Centre, Broome International Airport, Broome and Kimberley Holidays and the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council.

Tourism WA chief executive Stephanie Buckland recognised the importance of ensuring Broome's tourism future was well-planned.

"Broome is the gateway to the extraordinary Kimberley region, which was recently hailed as the Lonely Planet's second region to visit in 2014, and plays a critical role in Tourism WA's marketing activities," she said.

"The town features in the latest TV and cinema advertising campaign, has starred in several Tourism WA supported TV productions such as The Bachelor and My Kitchen Rules, and forms an integral part of our co-operative advertising with Qantas."