Qld tops domestic visitor spending as Taylor Swift effect subsides

The Sunshine State has shaken off the Taylor Swift effect to reclaim its crown in a key metric for domestic tourism.

Taylor Swift performs in Sydney in February.

Queensland has shaken off the Taylor Swift effect to take top spot for domestic tourist spending.

The state bounced back after being impacted by bad weather over the March and December quarters, and the global superstar only performing in Sydney and Melbourne, which drove a southern visitor boom.

Tourism Research Australia figures due out on Wednesday show Queensland regaining top spot from NSW for domestic holiday-maker spending, despite it falling 7.3 per cent to $14.8bn. Queensland had a 28.1 per cent share of the $53bn holiday spending pie, compared with NSW on 27.8 per cent.

But the new figures reveal the cost-of-living crisis and competition from overseas rivals continue to impact Queensland’s glamour $34bn industry.

The state’s domestic tourist numbers were up slightly, but international visitation was still about a quarter less than pre-pandemic levels.

Brisbane emerged as a bright spot, with visitors spending a record $10.7bn and 50.8m nights in the year to June 30.

After experiencing a strong post-pandemic rebound, ­Tourism and Events Queensland said the state’s domestic tourism industry had been hit hard by headwinds including cost-of-living ­pressures and overseas ­competition.

Domestic visitor numbers grew 1.3 per cent to 25.6m but overnight visitor expenditure fell 1.1 per cent to $28.5bn.

Tourism Minister Michael Healy

Queensland was outperformed by rival states, with NSW (37.1m visitors) and ­Victoria (28.5m visitors) both recording double its growth in domestic tourists.

Queensland attracted 2.1m international visitors in the year to June, still 23.7 per cent below 2019 levels, before the pandemic. Australia as a whole attracted 7.35m overseas visitors, 15.6 per cent fewer than 2019. But international visitor spending in Queensland increased 1.2 per cent to $6.15bn while average length of stay was also up.

China ($833m) returned as Queensland’s top overseas market in terms of overnight visitor spending, with NZ (466,000) leading the way in visitor numbers.

Tourism Minister Michael Healy said while market conditions were challenging and interstate market share was ever-changing, travel intention to Queensland was very strong.

He said a number of tourism regions including Brisbane and the Southern Great Barrier had achieved record visitor spending, international visitor figures were well above targets, and Queensland’s return to No.1 spot for domestic visitor spending was “fantastic”.

“While visitor numbers are still recovering, which is felt in many of our regions, the good news is that those that do come are spending more,” he said.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Brisbane Economic Development Agency CEO Anthony Ryan hailed the capital’s performance including record domestic visitor spending and visitor nights, and a new peak in visitors from NSW, Victoria, NZ, USA, South Korea, Canada and Indonesia.