Despite setting some new records, the Gold Coast’s tourism sector has seen some mixed results in the last 12 months, as the city starts to feel the pinch of the economic downturn.
According to the latest data from Tourism Research Australia, a record 14.7 million people visited the Gold Coast in the year to March.
That’s up from the 14.4 million visitors the city welcomed in the 12 months to December.
The Gold Coast has cemented its place as the largest holiday market in Queensland and the third largest in the country with a total of 14 million domestic visitors.
Of those, a record 8.8 million were domestic day trips, despite the fuel crisis hampering travellers’ road trip plans.
There were 2.9 million domestic overnight visitors from within Queensland and 2.2 million overnight visitors from interstate.
However, spending by domestic visitors is down as cost-of-living pressures continue to bite.
“Domestically, we are seeing the impacts of the economic downturn influence travel decisions with visitors choosing day trips instead of overnight stays and spending less while they are away,” Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said.
“That’s why it is so important that we work with our industry to remind Australians why they should choose the Gold Coast and explore all that our region has to offer.”
Importantly for tourism bosses, the city’s international visitation continues its recovery.
There were 678,000 international visitors in the year to March, up 7 per cent on the previous year, but down slightly from the 12 months to December.
There were 9.9 million international visitor nights, with overseas tourists spending $1.5 billion, an increase of 22 per cent on the year before.
New Zealand remains the Gold Coast’s biggest international market with a record 223,000 Kiwis visiting here.
There’s also been an encouraging increase in the number of visitors from China which is up 55 per cent to 82,000.
There was also a 10 per cent jump in the number of UK visitors and a 20 per cent increase in the number of people visiting from Canada.
“More international visitors are choosing the Gold Coast, they’re staying longer and spending more while they’re here, delivering significant benefits for local businesses and our broader visitor economy,” Mr Warn said.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see continued growth from New Zealand, our largest international visitor market.
“Over the past 12 months we’ve welcomed new direct services from Auckland, Hamilton and Dunedin, while this month’s return of Qantas international flights between Auckland and the Gold Coast provides even more choice and capacity for travellers.”
