The Gold Coast has retained its title as Queensland’s biggest holiday market, while the city has also seen a record amount of money spent by international visitors.
Figures released by Tourism Research Australia showed the Gold Coast welcomed 6.5 million domestic visitors between January and June this year, including 2.4 million overnight stays.
Domestic visitors pumped $3.7 billion into the local economy in the first six months of the year.
Sydneysiders continue to lead the charge by interstate visitors, with 342,000 heading to the Coast, spending $608 million.
“We know that in the year ending December 2024, the Gold Coast celebrated a total domestic expenditure of $6.9 billion. To see us achieve $3.7 billion domestically in the first half of this year alone is a great result for the Gold Coast,” Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said.
“This puts our visitor economy in a fantastic position as we head into the tail end of the year which is always a busy period for the Gold Coast holiday market with a packed calendar of events including the Groundwater Country Music Festival, Gold Coast 500, a T20 international match, Coolangatta Gold, Spilt Milk, Magic Millions and more.”
But it’s the jump in spending from international visitors that has tourism bosses smiling, as the city continues the long bounce back from the pandemic.
The Gold Coast welcomed 636,000 overseas visitors in the 12 months to the end of June with a surge in people making the trip from Europe.
They spent $1.5 billion dollars in the city in the last year, a new record.
International tourists are also staying longer and spending more, with the average length of stay rising to 14.5 nights.
“International visitors are spending record amounts on enjoying the best the Gold Coast has to offer, and it’s fantastic to see surging interest from long-haul markets like Europe,
and continued strength from key markets like New Zealand,” Mayor Tom Tate said.
“It’s a real vote of confidence in our city’s reputation as a global destination that attracts people from across the world to experience our nature, events, and culture.”
