Gold Coast tourism sector bounces back from Covid downturn with new figures revealing boost
Gold Coast businesses are raking in the cash, with new data revealing the city’s biggest industry has made a shock turnaround, putting millions into the pockets of struggling operators. FIND OUT HOW.
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VISITORS to the Gold Coast are spending $150 more per head on average nowadays than they were at tourism’s peak just prior to Covid.
In 2019, the average spend per visitor to the Gold Coast sat at $878 but is now at $1033 - a jump of $155 per head, new data marking the sector’s post-pandemic revival shows.
And the increased spend by tourists three years on is not the only positive sign for the sector.
The first half of 2022 saw the city’s biggest industry recover more than half its pre-Covid value on the back of domestic and international borders reopening.
It comes just a year after the city’s biggest industry posted a one billion dollar loss during the September, 2021, school holidays as the Omicron wave cut Queensland off from NSW and Victoria.
New data, for the 2021-22 financial year compiled by Tourism Research Australia and released to mark World Tourism Day, shows:
* The Gold Coast welcomed 3.2 million domestic overnight visitors in the 12 months to June, who spent $3.3bn. Both numbers are up on the previous year. Tourism was worth $6bn to the city’s economy pre-pandemic.
* The total number of visitor nights grew 3.5 per cent to 11.8 million nights.
* Tourists are spending on average $1033 per head, a 14.7 per cent increase on the $901
recorded in 2021 and up 17.6 per cent on the $878 per head in 2019.
* Despite border closures, more than 1.3 million interstate people visited the city, an 8.9 per cent increase on 2020-21.
* Intrastate visitors fell 4.5 per cent to 1.9 million people.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said the figures showed a dramatic turnaround for the industry but warned they would continue to fluctuate.
“With the September school holidays underway, Gold Coast Airport has welcomed more than 62,000 arriving passengers during the first week of the holidays alone. Occupancy is sitting at 80 per cent on average and spiking as high as 90 per cent on some days,” she said.
“This increase in expenditure per visitor across Australia has meant that total holiday expenditure for the Gold Coast in the June quarter increased 29 per cent.
“As Australia and the world reopens, our visitor mix will start to look more like 2019 than 2021, however even as choices increase, we expect fluctuations in our core markets.”
International borders reopened in February while the state government unveiled a $200m international aviation fund – stumping up $100m matched by four Queensland airports including the Gold Coast – to lure more flights and airlines back to Australia.
The injection of cash - up from an annual $10 million international flight attraction fund - came after a Bulletin campaign to boost the pot.
It is aimed at attracting more international flights and boosting critical connectivity
In other key numbers, more than 87,000 international visitors have arrived on the Gold Coast since borders reopened, primarily from New Zealand, the UK, and Singapore.
The Gold Coast attracted more than half of all international holiday visitors to Queensland in 2019, more than any other state destination.
It also attracted a million-plus international visitors annually pre-Covid.
Ms O’Callaghan said more work needed to be done to restore the international tourism sector to pre-Covid levels.
“While there are still many challenges ahead for our industry including the need for skilled workers and strengthening the weekday economy, these results are a good step forward in a sign that recovery is well underway,” she said.
“After two years of disruption, we hope operators will continue to benefit from a bounce-back, but we still have a long road ahead of us to rebuild the Gold Coast’s visitor economy.”
Question: How is the tourism recovery going for you?
David Ridden, Grandad Jack’s Craft Distillery, Miami
“We are seeing it bounce back. January and February were a bit slow but March (onward) we saw it really pick up again as people from interstate and international visitors come back to the Gold Coast. It’s positive and things are heading in the right direction”.
Peta Cotterill, The Oasis Shopping Centre, Broadbeach
“The recovery is going sensationally for the Gold Coast overall and for the centre. It is great to see our domestic tourism back and our international tourism starting to recover.”
Kim Jeffrey, Koncept Konnect, Miami
“The tourism recovery is fabulous on the Gold Coast right now, so there is huge demand, people are getting high average daily rates and it is currently a very buoyant atmosphere.”
Eva Maindonald, The Dorsett, Broadbeach
“Occupancy levels have reflected the demand and we are seeing a trend in short-lead stays which has seen The Dorsett Gold Coast consistently operating at between 80 and 100 per cent occupancy, particularly on the weekends and during the busy school holidays period.”
Sarnia Rose, Pure Aloha Yoga, Tallebudgera
“It’s great having the domestic and international travellers back. I love international people and it is feeling good to have them coming out on the water with us and experiencing everything.”
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