Esperance Tourism Statistics

Tourism WA counted 159,000 domestic overnight trips and around 30,000 international visitors to Esperance in 2025. Here's how visitor numbers, spending and stays have changed since 2019.

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Esperance is a coastal town in southern Western Australia famous for its white sand beaches, blue waters and Lake Hillier. Tourism WA counted 159,000 domestic overnight trips and around 30,000 international visitors to Esperance and neighbouring Ravensthorpe in 2025, spending about AUD 125 million.1 On the older count, around 199,000 tourists stayed overnight in Esperance in 2024, spending AUD 157 million.2

How many tourists visit Esperance each year?

Esperance and neighbouring Ravensthorpe had 159,000 domestic overnight trips in 2025, plus around 30,000 international visitors a year (averaged over 2024 and 2025).1

On the older count, around 199,000 tourists visited Esperance in 2024.2

  • 266,000 in 2019 before the pandemic, the highest in recent years.2
  • 174,000 in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a 35% drop from pre-pandemic numbers.2
  • 192,000 domestic visitors in 2021 and 211,000 visitors in total in 2022 as domestic tourism bounced back.2
  • 194,000 in 2023, 27% below the pre-pandemic peak.2
  • The 2024 total works out to about 544 tourist arrivals a day, varying between peak and off-peak seasons.2

Note: 2025 figures use a new counting method and can't be compared with earlier years, so 2024 is the last comparable year.1 The 2021 figure counts domestic visitors only, as no total was published for that year.2

Tourist Arrivals in Esperance by YearTotal overnight visitors (2021 domestic only, as no total was published; 2025 on a new method, not comparable)Tourism WA, Shire of Esperance Overnight Visitor Factsheets 2024 and 2025100K200K300K266,000174,0002019202020212022202320242025YearNumber of VisitorsNew method
Tourist Arrivals in Esperance by Year

How many domestic and international tourists visit Esperance?

Most of Esperance's visitors are Australians, and three in four of them come from elsewhere in Western Australia.1

Australians made 159,000 overnight trips to Esperance and neighbouring Ravensthorpe in 2025, spending 511,000 nights in the area.1

  • 74% of those trips were by Western Australians and 26% by interstate visitors.1
  • Around 30,000 international visitors came each year in 2024 and 2025, spending 187,000 nights in the area in 2025.1
  • On the older count, 180,000 domestic tourists2 and around 19,000 international tourists visited Esperance in 2024.

Which country brings the most international visitors to Esperance?

The United Kingdom sends the most international visitors to Esperance, followed by Germany and Switzerland, according to Tourism Research Australia's latest local profile, averaged over 2023 and 2024.3 Too few visitors were surveyed to publish numbers for each country.

  • Across the wider Golden Outback region, 15% of international visitors (averaged over 2024 and 2025) came from the United Kingdom, 13% from Germany, 13% from New Zealand, 5% from France and 5% from the United States.4

How much do tourists spend in Esperance each year?

Tourists spent around AUD 125 million in Esperance and neighbouring Ravensthorpe in 2025: AUD 108 million by domestic overnight visitors and AUD 17 million by international visitors (averaged over 2024 and 2025).1

  • Tourists spent around AUD 157 million in 20242 and AUD 170 million in 2023.5
  • That works out to about AUD 789 per visitor trip in 2024 (AUD 157 million across 199,000 visitors).2
  • AUD 133 million was spent in 2019, the year with the highest number of visitors.6

Note: 2025 spending is counted on a new basis and can't be compared with earlier years.1 The 2023 and 2024 figures were each counted separately and aren't directly comparable2, and the 2019 total also counts day trips.6

Esperance Tourist SpendingOvernight visitor spending, AUD. Before 2023 Tourism WA published four-year averages only; 2025 is on a new method and notcomparableTourism WA, Shire of Esperance Overnight Visitor Factsheets, 2018–2025 editions$50M$100M$150M$200M$127,000,000$124,000,000$121,000,000$135,000,000$170,000,000$157,000,000$125,000,0002015–18 avg2016–19 avg2018–21 avg2019–22 avg202320242025PeriodTourist spending (AUD)New method
Esperance Tourist Spending

What is the economic impact of tourism on Esperance?

Tourism supports 522 jobs (7.8% of total local employment) in the Shire of Esperance.7

  • The Accommodation and Food Services sector benefits the most from tourism, supporting 375 jobs in Esperance.7

How long do visitors stay in Esperance?

37% of domestic trips to Esperance in 2025 lasted one to three nights, 27% four to seven nights, 20% eight to 14 nights and 16% 15 nights or more.1

  • 51% of international trips lasted one to three nights and 35% four to seven nights (averaged over 2024 and 2025).1
  • The 2025 factsheet gives no average stay. The latest published average is 6.5 nights in 20242: 8.2 nights for international visitors and 6.3 nights for domestic visitors.

How far is Esperance from Perth? Road trips and camping

Esperance is a road-trip destination: it sits just over 700 km from Perth, about an eight-hour drive or a 90-minute flight, and draws a high share of self-drive visitors.6

  • Commercial caravan parks and camping grounds took 27% of domestic visitor nights in 2025, and non-commercial camping another 14%.1
  • They took 22% of international visitor nights, with non-commercial camping another 12% (averaged over 2024 and 2025).1
  • The South West Edge road trip links Perth and Esperance over 1,200 km, a route of about 12 days.6

How many national parks are near Esperance, and where can you camp?

Beyond the caravan parks in town, Esperance has four national parks nearby: Cape Le Grand, Cape Arid, Stokes and Peak Charles.89 All four have campgrounds.

  • Cape Le Grand: Lucky Bay has 56 campsites for tents, caravans and camper trailers, and Le Grand Beach has 14 more, all booked online.10
  • Cape Arid: The park has 6 campgrounds, none of which can be booked.8
  • Stokes and Peak Charles: Stokes has one main campground on the shore of Stokes Inlet, and Peak Charles has a small campground with 9 sites suitable for camper trailers. Neither has fresh water.9

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When is the best time to visit Esperance?

Esperance is mild all year. January and February are the warmest months, with average highs of about 26°C, and summer is the driest season, with less than 25 mm of rain a month.11 July is the coolest month at about 17°C and the wettest, with around 97 mm of rain.

  • Whale season runs from June to October, when southern right whales and their calves, plus the occasional humpback, rest in the sheltered bays around Esperance.12
  • Wildflower season runs from August to November, when orchids, banksias and grevilleas bloom along the coast, and the Esperance Wildflower Festival is held each September.13

What are the most popular attractions in Esperance?

Esperance's main attractions are natural ones, from the pink water of Lake Hillier to the beaches and national parks along the coast.

  • Lake Hillier: The famous pink lake on Middle Island, seen by scenic flight or boat tour (more below).
  • Cape Le Grand National Park: Lucky Bay (beach kangaroos), Frenchman Peak, Hellfire Bay and Thistle Cove all offer camping, hiking and beach activities. The park drew as many as 189,000 visitors a year as of 2019, about a quarter of whom stayed at least one night, and Lucky Bay is home to 10 to 20 kangaroos that spend much of their time on the beach.10
  • Great Ocean Drive: Coastal route to Esperance's beaches including Twilight Bay and Blue Haven.
  • Recherche Archipelago: Islands for wildlife viewing – sea lions, whales (seasonal) and birdlife.

Is Lake Hillier still pink, and how can you see it?

Not reliably. Lake Hillier lost its bright pink colour after a major offshore rainfall event in 2022 diluted its salt levels, and Tourism WA's April 2026 update says its colour is still subject to natural change.14 Scientists expect the pink to return as the water evaporates and salinity rises, but nobody can say when.15

Lake Hillier sits on Middle Island, the largest of the Recherche islands, 11 km off the coast of Cape Arid National Park.16 There is no road to it, so visitors see the lake by scenic flight or boat from Esperance.17

  • Scenic flights from Esperance over Lake Hillier and Middle Island take about 1 hour 40 minutes, with departures at 9am, 11:30am and 2pm, seven days a week.17
  • Lake Hillier is often confused with Pink Lake (Spencer Lake) near Esperance town, which has not shown its pink colour for more than a decade.14

Other Resources

References

  1. Shire of Esperance Overnight Visitor Factsheet 2025 — Tourism WA · assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com ↑ b c d e f g h i j k l m
  2. Shire of Esperance Overnight Visitor Factsheet 2024 — Tourism WA · assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com ↑ b c d e f g h i j k l m
  3. Tourism Research Australia — Local Government Area Profiles · Tourism Research Australia ↑
  4. Australia's Golden Outback Overnight Visitor Factsheet 2025 — Tourism WA · assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com ↑
  5. Shire of Esperance Overnight Visitor Factsheet 2023 — Tourism WA · assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com ↑
  6. Shire of Esperance Tourism Strategy Final Report, April 2021 · esperance.wa.gov.au ↑ b c d
  7. Esperance Economy Profile — Tourism Employment — REMPLAN · app.remplan.com.au ↑ b
  8. Cape Arid National Park — Explore Parks WA (DBCA) · exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au ↑ b
  9. Esperance national parks visitor guide: Peak Charles, Cape Le Grand and Stokes — Parks and Wildlife Service (DBCA) · exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au ↑ b
  10. Park Feature — Cape Le Grand National Park — Parks and Wildlife Service (DBCA) · exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au ↑ b
  11. Summary statistics Esperance (station 009789) — Bureau of Meteorology · bom.gov.au ↑
  12. Guide to whale watching in Western Australia — Tourism Western Australia · westernaustralia.com ↑
  13. Wildflower Wanderings — Visit Esperance · visitesperance.com ↑
  14. Pink and Rainbow Lakes of Western Australia — Tourism Western Australia · westernaustralia.com ↑ b
  15. WA's Lake Hillier loses iconic pink colour, but there is strong hope for its recovery — ABC News · abc.net.au ↑
  16. Lake Hillier — Australia's Golden Outback · australiasgoldenoutback.com ↑
  17. Frequently Asked Questions Esperance — Lake Hillier scenic flights · goldfieldsairservices.com.au ↑ b
  18. WA Parks and Wildlife — Lake Hillier information · parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au
  19. Shire of Esperance — tourism data and reports · esperance.wa.gov.au
  20. Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission — regional economic data · gedc.wa.gov.au
  21. HeliSpirit — Lake Hillier tour operator information · helispirit.com.au
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