Drive the Dream: Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo in new TourismWA campaign, selling WA as ultimate road trip

Home-grown Formula 1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo is the face of a new global tourism campaign selling WA to the world as the ultimate road trip destination. Duncraig-raised Ricciardo is joined behind the wheel by best mate Blake Mills for a self-drive escape from Perth to Exmouth that includes stops in Kalbarri, Shark Bay and Bullara Station. The pair showcase a range of iconic WA experiences — highlighted by swimming with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef. After more than a decade thrilling F1 fans, Ricciardo found himself temporarily without a starting seat after leaving McLaren at the end of the 2022 season — allowing him to spend more time in his home State than he has in years. That included the opportunity to film the new Drive the Dream campaign, which builds on the Walking on a Dream brand launched by TourismWA last year as the State emerged from the COVID pandemic and began reconnecting with the world. “As an experience, being able to explore and then share my own backyard with the world is really special, but being able to do that alongside my best mate was the icing on the cake,” Ricciardo said. “I really enjoy a road trip, it’s something I’ve been doing the last few years when I’ve had the opportunity, I was planning to do more this year before I jumped back into a race car (with AlphaTauri in July). “Call me a kid, but I just love being outside, so if it’s the beaches, or the forest or some farmland, Western Australia has those in abundance, and it just puts a smile on my face.” Drive the Dream will run for a year both interstate and in key international markets, including Europe, the UK, South East Asia and Japan. Premier Roger Cook said the campaign captured WA’s essence as a destination “brimming with stunning landscapes” and “best explored from behind the wheel”. “Daniel Ricciardo is arguably one of the most famous Western Australians on the planet, and we know how much he loves his home state and promoting it to the world,” Mr Cook said. “He’s the perfect talent to front this campaign, as a proud Western Australian and global Formula 1 superstar, to help draw thousands of out-of-State visitors to WA to explore the one-of-a-kind adventures on offer. “His star power, combined with all the incredible tourism locations throughout the State, gives us a really great opportunity to put Western Australian road trips on the map and at the forefront of visitor’s minds when planning their next trip.” The new campaign comes hot on the heels of figures released by Tourism Research Australia that found WA had recorded its highest-ever visitor spend of $16.8 billion in the last financial year. However, that result — up 24 per cent from the last full pre-pandemic year — was driven by interstate visitation and West Australians holidaying at home. International visitor spend remained 15 per cent below pre-COVID levels, with the Drive the Dream campaign designed to leverage Ricciardo’s popularity as one of the world’s most recognisable F1 drivers into a flood of overseas tourists. Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said it was “only fitting” that Ricciardo had been selected to anchor the marketing strategy. “The road trip adventures that are highlighted through this campaign truly are one-of-a-kind,” she said. “There are so many options and locations for travellers to choose from, whether it’s an overnighter or a few days in the South West, or a full week or two on the open road along the Coral Coast and into our Kimberley region. “Notably, international visitors are also staying around 10 days longer than they were back in 2019, so what better way to spend that time than hitting the road and seeing our State’s beautiful landscape by car.”