G20 Summit to Leave Lasting Legacy for Brisbane Tourism Industry

The enduring legacy of the 2014 G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane this November will benefit the city's tourism offering for years to come.

The summit will bring about 4000 delegates and 3000 media to the city and will provide an opportunity for Brisbane to showcase its exceptional hotels and leisure attractions on the world stage.

As host city of the G20 summit, Brisbane will build its reputation as one of the friendliest cities in the world through a series of initiatives to help visitors easily find their way around, including a city-wide welcoming strategy and a new integrated wi-fi system.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the city's profile and popularity as a holiday destination was already on the rise and the G20 would provide an opportunity to enhance the city's world-class tourism industry as it rolled out the welcome mat to a vast global audience.

“Australia has experienced 21 years of consecutive economic growth, and Brisbane's economy has grown at a faster rate than the national average since 2001,” Cr Quirk said.

“As a result, visitors to Brisbane are often astounded by the sophistication of the city, with future-proofed infrastructure, a zest for innovation, enviable lifestyle and climate and exceptional event facilities, hotels and leisure attractions.”

Brisbane Marketing CEO John Aitken said the initiatives put in place to meet the needs of G20 delegates would be invaluable for future visitors to Brisbane.

Brisbane Marketing will lead a city-wide campaign that includes the development of a welcoming strategy to engage the tourism industry at all visitation touch points.

“The roll-out of a user-friendly wayfinding initiative will add a new dimension to visiting Brisbane for G20 delegates and future tourists as a whole,” Mr Aitken said.

“Our Brisbane Welcomes the World strategy will also ensure our city's service and transport industry staff and volunteers have the tools and information to make visitors feel welcome and informed for the G20 visit and thereafter as an important G20-driven legacy.”