Qld tourism: Nation-leading domestic figures better than pre-Covid

Queensland’s incredible tourism revival continues to lead the nation, with new figures showing the Sunshine State’s domestic travel scene is in better shape than before the pandemic.

Queensland’s incredible tourism revival continues to lead the nation, with new figures showing the Sunshine State’s domestic travel scene is in better shape than before the pandemic.

Statistics from Tourism Research Australia released on Friday reveal the country’s domestic travel sector is back to pre-pandemic levels, but Queensland is soaring into uncharted territory with numbers far stronger than 2019.

For the third month in a row, Queensland left southern rivals NSW and Victoria in the shade during August when it came to visitor spending and total visitor nights.

While Queensland unsurprisingly dominated statistics during the harsh lockdowns and border closures of 2020 and 21, the Sunshine State’s current performance is a multibillion-dollar stamp of approval from an Aussie public still wary of overseas travel but increasingly wanting to holiday. Travel spending was up an incredible 64 per cent on 2019 levels to almost $2.5bn, $300m more than NSW and almost double that of Victoria.

An extra 400,000 Aussie travellers visited Queensland in August compared to the same time in 2019 and they stayed almost 1 million nights longer, with 9.1m visitor nights.

Vanessa Larkins and Tyra Eldridge poolside with QT Gold Coast’s cocktail king Brock Ashmore. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Brett Fraser said the latest visitor numbers were a testament to how well the sector was bouncing back. “Despite the tumult caused by restrictions and closed borders, the appetite for travel has remained strong,” Mr Fraser said.

“The enthusiasm for exploration and new experiences is being felt by Queensland operators who are reaping the benefits of a boom in the domestic travel market.

“No doubt our great climate, diverse landscapes and wonderful visitor offerings have a big role to play in our being number one nationwide.” Before the pandemic caused Australia-wide lockdowns, August was one of the quietest months of the year for most Queensland travel operators, but this year saw a bookings bonanza across the state.

At Surfers Paradise, QT Gold Coast is bracing for a sizzling summer, with a number of new accommodation, conferencing, events and dining experiences.

General manager Dominic Rose said it was shaping up to be an “incredible ­summer”.

Originally published as Qld tourism: Nation-leading domestic figures better than pre-Covid