CNN has named Western Australia (WA) as a top tourist destination for 2023, calling the chance to see an approaching solar eclipse in one of the state’s most well-known natural resort towns a “wonder” to behold.
According to the network’s travel writers, the April 20 eclipse is best seen from Exmouth, which sits directly in the path of the celestial event and will host a three-day Dark Sky Festival to commemorate it.
CNN said in an article posted on its website, “There will be outdoor viewing platforms where spectators can safely watch the solar miracle,”
Music performances and astronomy courses will also be featured at the festival.
The Margaret River wine area and “quokka-covered” Rottnest Island in WA, as well as the Kimberley region and the Great Victoria and Great Sandy deserts, are also recommended.
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CNN’s other top worldwide tourist destinations include Poland’s “humongous” Baroque palace and Liverpool, England, which will host Eurovision 2023 in May.
Charleston, South Carolina, and Vilnius, Lithuania’s 700-year-old capital, all made the list, as did Fiji and Manaus, Brazil, which is the gateway to the famous Amazon River.
The award comes on the heels of a high-profile government-funded US tourism advertising campaign for the state, which included advertisements on New York City’s renowned Time Square billboards on New Year’s Eve.
From December 26 until January 1, the Walking On A Dream billboard advertising campaign was displayed in numerous locations throughout Manhattan for a week.
According to a WA government media statement, it was run using a social media campaign that targeted more than 1.4 million New Yorkers.
The advertisements contain a remixed version of Empire of the Sun’s Walking On A Dream.
They also feature Rika Hamaguchi and Ian Wilkes, who have performed in places like Ningaloo Reef and the Bungle Bungle Range in the Kimberley.
Exmouth was founded in 1967 to serve as a support facility for the nearby US Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt.It was previously the site of the still-standing Vlamingh Head Lighthouse, one of the few spots in Australia where both sunset and sunrise can be seen.
In the 1970s, the town began to host US Air Force personnel assigned to the adjacent Learmonth Solar Observatory, which is operated in collaboration with the CSIRO’s Paul Wild astronomical research station in Narrabri, NSW.
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
