Tuesday 9 July 2019

Queensland enjoys record high in international visitor spending

International visitors are spending more in Queensland than ever before with the latest data released today showing a record $6 billion was spent in the past year.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the latest International Visitor Survey (IVS) data for the year ended March 2019 revealed Queensland’s total visitor expenditure was up 8.6 per cent year-on-year.

“Queensland’s tourism industry continues to grow because we’re partnering with the private sector to invest more than ever before in this sector,” she said.

“Tourism is a cornerstone of our economy and vital to jobs growth in Queensland.

“That’s why we’re working harder than ever before to attract more international visitors to our state – today’s data proves that our strategy is working.”

International visitor expenditure reached a record high in Queensland in the year ended March 2019, with 2.7 million overseas travellers spending a record $6 billion, up 8.6 per cent on the previous year.

Ms Jones said visitation for all travel purposes to the state increased, with education visitation showing the greatest growth - up 14 per cent to a record 121,000 visitors who spent a record $1.7 billion.

“This year, for the first time in a decade our market share grew faster than NSW and Victoria,” she said.

“We’re continuing that trend. In the data released today, Queensland’s share of total visitor expenditure continued to grow to almost 20 per cent, with the state showing the largest annual change compared to any other Australian state or territory.

“The growth of expenditure from international education visitation to Queensland doubled the Australian average, with Queensland growth at 24.3 per cent compared to 12 per cent nationally.”

The Minister revealed Queensland also performed well in many major source markets with Queensland reaching record highs in a number of countries including a 27.6 per cent year-on-year growth in spending from Chinese travellers and increased holiday visitation from the USA.

Taiwan also reached record highs in holiday visitation and total expenditure, up 6.5 per cent and 37.6 percent respectively - an increase off the back of the new daily service on the Taipei-Brisbane-Auckland route that started in December 2017.

Ms Jones said the IVS data demonstrated the strong performance of regional Queensland and said the State Government would continue working to improve the numbers and grow the state’s $800 million events calendar.

“Brisbane continues to see strong results with the city reaching a record high in international visitation and total expenditure, up 4.5 per cent to 1.4 million people and 15 per cent to $2.8 billion respectively,” she said.

“Tropical North Queensland also performed well with the region up 2.7 per cent in total expenditure to $1.1 billion.

“International spending increased significantly on the Sunshine Coast, up 24.4 per cent to $96 per night resulting in overnight visitor expenditure growth by 20.5 per cent to a record $277.2 million.

“These strong numbers across Queensland reflect the importance we put on the tourism industry and shows why we will continue to support its growth across the state.”

View the IVS results for Queensland

Tourism and Events Queensland
www.teq.queensland.com

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