Shinju Matsuri 2018

Shinju Matsuri delivers the largest economic impact of any regional event in the Kimberley!

Shinju Matsuri, Broome’s annual Festival of the Pearl, contributed over $5 million to the Kimberley economy in 2017, more than any other regional event in the region, according to a Regional Impact Evaluation conducted by Metrix Consulting.

Visitors to the festival spent an average of 13.7 nights exploring the Kimberly Region, with an incredible 92 percent satisfied or very satisfied with their experience. Satisfaction for the Festival itself was also very high, with 84 percent of survey respondents happy with both the quality of events on offer and the promotional information available. According to survey respondents, the major highlights of Shinju Matsuri are the community spirit of the festival as well as the amount and variety of events on offer.
Shinju Matsuri President, Chris Maher, says these results are a testament to the strong community ties of the Festival, which started as a culmination of Japanese, Malaysian and Chinese cultural festivals over 46 years ago and has evolved to include the Indigenous and broader communities.
“With an increase of visitors attending Shinju Matsuri in 2017, the growth in visitors combined with a longer length of stay has driven valuable visitor expenditure throughout the local economy,” said Mr Maher.

Shinju Matsuri 2018

The Shinju Matsuri board is now looking forward to the 2018 festival, which will include seasoned favourites and exciting new events alike.
“As we head toward our 50th anniversary in 2020, we will see a focus on maintaining and exceeding the satisfaction of attendees to Shinju Matsuri,” said Mr Maher.
“There will be the traditional community favourites such as the Mardi Gras on Male Oval, high profile events such as the Sunset Long Table Dinner combined with some new and exciting content to be announced through the year.”

Shinju Matsuri 2018 will be held from 25 August to 2 September.

For details of the Economic Impact infographic 2017, click here