Wide Bay tourism industry continues to boom

January 8, 2019

8/1/2019

Wide Bay tourism industry continues to boom

Strong domestic and international traveller numbers are providing a boost to the Wide Bay economy, Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien said today.

Mr O’Brien said the latest International Visitor Survey results showed Fraser Coast continued to be a major tourist hotspot for domestic travellers, with a 24 per cent increase on last year’s domestic visitor numbers.

“In the year to September 2018 we’ve seen 740,000 domestic visitors visit the Fraser Coast’s attractions including Fraser Island and Maryborough, which is a remarkable increase and provides a significant boost to our local economy,” Mr O’Brien said.

“We have also seen international tourism to the Sunshine Coast jump by nine per cent, which is great news for local businesses and the local economy who benefit from every dollar international travellers spend.

“Wide Bay is filled with unique attractions that cater to all types of travellers, from our beautiful beaches, the stunning hinterland areas to our fascinating heritage and Maryborough’s new landmark Gallipoli to Armistice memorial.

“These visitor numbers are a testament to our local tourism operators and show that Wide Bay has something truly special to offer for domestic and international visitors.”

The international visitor survey results show a record 8.4 million international travellers flocked to our shores over the last year and spent record amounts with travellers injecting $43.2 billion into the local economy. 

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham welcomed the results saying more international travellers in Wide Bay meant more people in local restaurants, staying in local hotels and visiting local tourist attractions.

“It’s encouraging to see international travellers continue to flock to our shores and enjoy all that our country has to offer,” Minister Birmingham said.

“These latest results show 2.84 million international travellers chose to travel beyond our capital cities and spent time in the bush, at the coast or even in the outback.

“Today’s results are also good news for  Wide Bayas the more tourists we attract to Wide Bay, the more they contribute to the local economy and the more they spend in local businesses.”

“Our Liberal-National Government continues to deliver record funding to Tourism Australia for cutting-edge campaigns such as Undiscover and Dundee, and these latest results demonstrate how these campaigns are helping to lure more tourists down under.

The latest International Visitor Survey results are available at: www.tra.gov.au

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