National Visitor Survey Latest Data Confirms The Whitsundays is The Place to Stay

Airlie Beach Lagoon

The Whitsundays has delivered more records in the latest release of National Visitor Survey (NVS) data reporting on the year to December 2022. In the first NVS report without any pandemic restrictions, the records were achieved in the interstate visitors and the number of nights stayed categories.

Visitors from New South Wales (NSW) were the highest number of interstate travellers, making up a record 176,000 of the record 341,000 travellers. The interstate market also clocked up a record 2,398,000 nights, an increase of 108% on 2022 data.

Commenting on the survey, Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer Rick Hamilton said these results continue to prove what everyone in The Whitsundays already knows: The Whitsundays is the best place to holiday.

“Queenslanders discovered The Whitsundays during the pandemic, and it is encouraging to see that the message is reaching the NSW market. With Bonza launching a new direct flight from Newcastle to The Whitsundays, NSW visitation is only set to grow further.

“These results once again underline the significant contribution tourism makes here. As a region, we rely on tourism for one in three jobs. We have world-class tour operators, accommodation options and businesses all working to deliver an outstanding holiday experience to vacationers in The Whitsundays, whatever their budget,” Mr Hamilton said.

While visitation from interstate reached record highs, the previous record of $1.5 billion in visitor expenditure was maintained for another quarter.

Tourism Whitsundays Chair Julie Telford is thrilled to see record visitation from interstate markets to the Heart of the Great Barrier Reef, The Whitsundays.

“It’s fantastic to see more interstate travellers discover what a diverse holiday offering The Whitsundays and Queensland have. Queensland is such a diverse State, and travelling within its border can take you through the rainforest, outback, surf beaches and the wonderful Whitsundays by car, bus, train, plane and boat.

“The maintained visitor expenditure of $1.5 billion shows that visitors are still coming to experience the many activities and attractions available in The Whitsundays. From world-famous Whitehaven Beach to the Great Barrier Reef and the pristine National Parks, there is so much to experience here,” said Ms Telford.

The Whitsundays is the most tourism-reliant area 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.

For more information on National Visitation Survey data, please click here.