New data shows Australians spent more money in Queensland over the last 12 months than ever before.
The latest National Visitor Survey released today showed an increase in spending of more than 10 per cent generated a record $17 billion for Queensland for the first time.
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the data also showed a record 22.5 million domestic visitors travelled to Queensland in the last year - nearly five per cent growth in visitor numbers.
"This data proves that a record number of domestic visitors are spending more than ever before in Queensland," she said.
"Not only are these record numbers, today’s report also shows that our share of the domestic visitor market has grown to more than 25 per cent over this period.
"This goes to show that our strategy to grow Queensland’s $25 billion tourism industry is working.
"We’re investing more than ever before in Queensland tourism and it’s paying off."
Ms Jones said a swathe of bumper major events were a major contributing factor to the successful data released today.
"We’ve more than doubled the value of Queensland’s major events calendar over the last three years – this year it’s worth around $780 million for our economy," she said.
"We invest in events because we know they are major drawcards for tourists.
"Over the last year we’ve hosted the Commonwealth Games, the Battle of Brisbane, the Marvel Exhibition and the Brisbane International. Events like these have all contributed to the strong growth recorded in today’s data.
Ms Jones said every region in Queensland experienced growth in visitor expenditure with Tropical North Queensland, the Sunshine Coast, Southern Great Barrier Reef and Southern Queensland Country all reaching record high visitor expenditure.
"This is a great result for Queensland’s tourism industry but we need to invest in this sector to ensure we remain ahead of the curve in decades to come," she said.
"That’s why we committed an extra $180 million in the State Budget including new funding for events and tourism infrastructure to lure more visitors to Queensland."
During the 2018 State Budget, the Palaszczuk Government committed:
- $48 million for the Attracting Tourism fund to lure more direct flights and cruise ships
- $36 million for the Growing Tourism Infrastructure fund to deliver new attractions
- $10 million for outback tourism infrastructure
- $36 million for major events
- $50 million to rejuvenate Great Barrier Reef island resorts
