Margaret River and the South-West region's tourism, hospitality and events scene have been bolstered, with the popular Cabin Fever Festival set to return with an expanded program of events in 2023 and 2024.
The 10-day food, wine and entertainment festival is spread across the South-West, with key events in Margaret River and Busselton, and further pop-up events spread across the region.
Thousands of people are expected to visit the South-West region for the events which will generate millions of dollars for the local economy.
The current program of events, which includes long-table dining experiences and food and wine masterclasses, will also expand to include a new festival hub, the development of new Aboriginal event content and a boost in marketing for the event.
A surge in popularity of this year's event saw more than 30 regional businesses manage nearly 50 of their own events, including luxury farm stay and winery Burnside Organic Farm, and other venues hosting a wide array of events such as winter-themed bonfires, toastie championships, live music and more.
The 2023 festival will run from July 14 to 23 and offer a mixture of free and ticketed events, encouraging visitors to enjoy the region during the off-peak season.
In the year ending June 2022, an estimated 1.7 million overnight visitors were reported for the Margaret River region, which is six per cent more visitors compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Visitors from within the State increased by 24 per cent in this region, while the wider South-West region benefited from a nine per cent jump in visits by Western Australian locals.
"The South-West of our State is a well-known tourism, hospitality and event hot spot, and continues to grow in popularity with those out of town, bouncing back even stronger than pre-COVID-19 levels," Premier Mark McGowan said.
"Investing in events like this adds certainty for the region with major events and initiatives to attract people throughout the year, supporting tourism operators and businesses directly, and sustains jobs on or off-peak."
It comes as WA was named by Lonely Planet as one of the 30 best places in the world to visit in 2023, and Perth to Margaret River as one of the top 5 journeys.
Lonely Planet also singled out a 7-day foodie adventure from Perth to the South-West as one of the world's ultimate journeys, highlighting Margaret River, Manjimup, Pemberton, Bunbury through to Rockingham and Fremantle.
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