Amongst all the hoo-haa and politician back-slapping and vote-buying, there has been a complete failure to note that Busselton is served from Perth by one of W.A.'s best and newest highways - the Forrest Highway - which ensures an easy drive from Perth to Busselton in less than 2.5 hrs.
The difference in ticket prices between choosing Perth or Busselton as your destination will ensure most travellers will choose Perth instead of Busselton.
Add in the fact that Avis are the only car hire company in Busselton (read - no competition), and hiring a car much more cheaply from the hundreds of hire providers in Perth, will make landing at Perth a no-brainer.
I guess the authorities could go the whole hog, make Busselton an international airport, organise direct flights from 100 cities in China, and drop 100,000 confused Chinese tourists annually into the middle of Busselton - where the accommodation is limited to about 20,000 beds annually, with just a couple of resorts and half-a-dozen cheap and nasty motels - and they could wander the streets of the town looking for a feed at 20:00HRS, and finding every single business closed and shuttered, typical of W.A. country towns after sundown.
