Queensland Crowned Australia's Tourism Capital For First Time

Queensland has been crowned at Australia’s tourism capital for the first time, new figures from Tourism Research Australia revealed. 

The research showed the state welcomed 20.8 million visitors in the year ending March 2022, and domestic visitor spending exceeded all other states, with Far North Queensland, the Whitsundays and Sunshine Coast breaking all-time records.

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Usually sitting in third place behind NSW and Victoria, the two states heavily effected by COVID-19 and lockdowns allowed for Queensland to welcome visitors it may not have had pre-pandemic.

Visitors to Queensland stayed longer and spent a combined $17.9 billion.

Domestic travellers generated $3 billion for Cairns and the Tropical North Queensland region, an increase of almost 20 per cent on 2019 figures.

For the Whitsundays, 844,000 visitors made their way to the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, spending more than $1.1 billion for the first time.

The Sunshine Coast set a spending record of almost $3 billion, 5.7 per cent more than in 2019.

The Gold Coast too saw some figures higher than pre-pandemic with the average visitor spending $959 per person.

The release of the figures just comes one day after Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe announced a $15 million investment in tourism experienced beginning mid-July to help operators fast track new and enhanced visitor attractions and create more secure jobs.

“Our $15 million Tourism Experience Development Fund will help operators refresh existing attractions or lay the foundations for new experiences to enhance Queensland’s great lifestyle,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“More travellers are seeking out unique tourism experiences and that’s why we’re investing in the Tourism Experience Development Fund.

“By supporting great tourism ideas, we can create more good, secure jobs, enhance our great lifestyle and ensure Queensland is Australia’s destination of choice.”

Fund applications open on July 15 and close on August 26.

For more information and guidelines visit: www.dtis.qld.gov.au

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