Tourism Whitsundays Continues To Deliver For The Queensland Economy

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Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer, Rick Hamilton has welcomed the announcement that The Whitsundays has again dominated this year’s top 50 experiences across Queensland in the Best of Queensland Experiences, together with Tropical North Queensland.

Announced last night by Queensland’s Minister for Tourism, Innovation and Sport, Stirling Hinchliffe, The Best of Queensland Experiences is an initiative of Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ). Its aim is to demonstrate the commitment of Queensland tourism operators to excellence and world-class holiday experiences.

Mr Hamilton congratulated all the operators in The Whitsundays who have consistently delivered unparalleled experiences for tourists to establish the destination as a domestic and global beacon for holidaymakers.

“This accolade highlights the efforts of all the exceptional and dedicated tourism operators in our region and the essential contribution they continue to make to the Queensland economy.” Mr Hamilton said.

It was also announced by the Minister at The Estimates Hearings last night that there is currently a review of the Tourism Network Funding Model to reflect the changes that have happened in tourism since the last change in funding in 2018. Tourism Whitsundays is encouraged by this and believes that with increased funding it is in a strong position to continue to deliver for our industry.

The latest National Visitor Survey (NVS) highlighted that The Whitsundays delivered a record $1.1B in visitor expenditure for the year ending 31 March 2022 to the Queensland economy, and a record 581,000 holiday visitors from intrastate and southern states, which is outstanding considering we have come through the very toughest of times. The Whitsundays is the most tourism-reliant region in Queensland with one in three jobs directly related to tourism, and 40 per cent of all visitation to the Great Barrier Reef departing from within the region.

“With the return of cruise ships and backpackers coming into the region, we will continue facing challenges to remain globally competitive to rebuild inbound tourism and compete against other domestic and international markets, but we know that The Whitsundays can continue to play a vital role in boosting the State’s economy, with enough funding support,” Mr Hamilton said.