Queensland tourism growth outpaces the nation

Queensland’s domestic tourism growth has exceeded the national average with 20 million Australians visiting the Sunshine State last year.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state had experienced eight per cent growth in domestic travellers, while total expenditure grew six per cent in 2015.

“These latest figures from Tourism Research Australia show that our investment in tourism is delivering results,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“Queensland’s growth rate is ahead of the national average with a record $14.5 billion in expenditure and 20.1 million Australian visitors.”

Tourism and Major Events Minister Kate Jones said the boom in Australian tourists to Queensland built on a record year for international visitors.

“The six per cent growth in expenditure and eight per cent in total visitors is fantastic news and underlines the success of marketing campaigns designed to attract new, home-grown travellers to Queensland,” Ms Jones said.

“Business travel expenditure also increased by 16 per cent to $2.4 billion, as did holiday spending which grew by five per cent to $6.3 billion.

“We are committed to growing tourism because we know how important it is for job creation in Queensland.

“Significant growth was recorded in Tropical North Queensland where expenditure increased by 35 per cent to $2.3 billion.

“Tropical North Queensland’s total visitors increased by 27 per cent to 2.1 million with more than one million holiday visitors, up 29 per cent.”

Brisbane continued its popularity surge with 5.8 million visitors – an increase of 11 per cent – spending $3.6 billion – an increase of 12 per cent.

The Gold Coast had seven per cent more domestic visitors with 3.7 million travellers.

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) Chief Executive Officer Leanne Coddington said the results reinforced the importance of sustained marketing campaigns encouraging visitors to come to Queensland to experience the best address on earth.

“The industry has done a great job in delivering these results and showcasing the world-class experiences on offer in from the Great Barrier Reef to the Gold Coast and the Outback,” Ms Coddington said.

“The major event portfolio also continues to drive visitation throughout the Queensland regions delivering significant economic benefit and jobs.”