Sports tourism: New report shows Gold Coast will become Australia’s next sporting tourism capital

The Gold Coast is ramping up tourism opportunities with the Suns and Titans as new research reveals sports is worth a jaw-dropping amount of money to the city. FIND OUT WHY

The Gold Coast is ramping up tourism opportunities with the Gold Coast Suns and Titans as research reveals the city’s booming sports economy will grow to be worth $3 billion.

The contribution from sport to the city will be $3.16 billion in 2030-31 - up from more than 40 per cent a decade earlier, the council’s Sporting Sector Economic Report predicts.

Sport currently “value adds” more than $1 billion to the city, researchers found.

Triggers for the sporting boom are the 2018 Commonwealth Games - and hosting annual blockbuster events like Magic Millions, the V8 Supercars and Gold Coast Marathon.

City leaders now want to tap into interstate footy fans attending AFL’s Gold Coast Suns matches and the NRL’s Gold Coast Titans fixtures.

An impressed Mayor Tom Tate, referring to the recent sell-out game at Carrara which the Suns won, said: “Collingwood is a great example. Gee the Magpies - when they come, they flock together.

“They flock black and white, and our stadiums fill up.”

Fans show their support during the round 16 AFL match between Gold Coast Suns and Collingwood Magpies at People First Stadium. (Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images).

Collingwood along with some other southern teams have flagged arriving earlier on the Gold Coast and hosting supporter nights with the stay stretching to more than a week, Mr Tate said.

Southern teams playing the Suns and the Brisbane Lions in talks with City leaders say their supporters want to stay longer for a holiday.

“We’ve already sent the signal. In Covid, we were able keep the competition going back to back,” Mr Tate said.

“If we can do it through Covid, we could do a pre-season four or five teams,” he said.

Council sources say some southern teams were eager to explore back-to-back fixtures in southeast Queensland with their huge supporter base staying on the Gold Coast for a fortnight.

Tourism leaders have told the Future Gold Coast series the City has enough events on weekends but needs to improve visitor stays during the week.

The City report said the sports sector had increased by almost 10 per cent during the three years since 2019.

“Employment within the Gold Coast’s sport sector grew by an average of 5.2 per cent per annum, exceeding Queensland (4 per cent) and Australia (2.8 per cent) identifying that the Gold Coast’s lifestyle and sporting facilities are leading the country in terms of talent and career opportunities,” the report says.

Touk Miller of the Suns interacts with fans following the 2024 AFL Round 16 match against the Collingwood Magpies at People First Stadium. (Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images).

The 2018 Commonwealth Games was a major influence in terms of legacy providing

more than $200 million invested in new and upgraded sports venues.

“With world class sporting facilities, natural and urban infrastructure, and a well-established tourism industry, the Gold Coast is well positioned to capture the growing demand of sports tourism,” the report said.

The City is pushing ahead with a high performance sports centre at Carrara.

Experience Gold Coast events executive director Avril Harris said investments to secure big-ticket sporting events had paid dividends for the city in recent years.

“The events we invest in return more than $300m into the economy annually but while the economics are important, it is not just about that,” she said.

“There are opportunities like the NBL Blitz, the Socceroos friendly in September and the Big Bash finals which we hosted at the start of the year which are broadcast (on television) and those are just as important as the direct economic impact.

“It shows the city off, we get to talk about it and it puts the Gold Coast in the forefront of people’s minds while the visitors we get out of (those events) introduces the city to people and hopefully they will return again for family holidays.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate — keen to developer sports tourism with the city’s national sports teams.

Next year will see a range of big-name events play out, including the return of the World Surf League (WSL) tour and the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships after long absences.”

Ms Harris said many people underestimated the value of sports tourism to the city and pointed to the increasing importance of “mass participation” sporting events which were delivering significant ongoing economic benefits.

“Our strategic focus puts us in a great position to leverage future events and one of the things which really underpins our position is the ability to have mass participation sporting events, some of which we host are among the biggest in the country and Asia-Pacific region.

“We have been able to get more than 30,000 people at the Cheer championships and most people won’t realise the boost that gives us because the sheet volume of crowds they bring in, not just the participants but families and officials too.

“We are an amazing destination and people want to come here because we have every accommodation option and are a beautiful place to visit.”