TOURISM INDUSTRY IN BRISBANE CONTINUES TO BOOM

Brisbane continues to benefit from strong International traveller numbers, according to the latest International Visitor Survey data.

Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said the latest results showed South East Queensland and Brisbane continued to be a major tourist hotspot for International travellers.

“In the year to September 2018 we’ve seen an additional 1.3m visitors flock to the Brisbane region and that’s an increase of 10% from the same time last year,” Mr Vasta said.

“Bonner has some amazing offerings for tourists such as Moreton island dolphin tours, manly harbour and an all-round great local atmosphere for tourists to experience, so it’s no wonder that visitors are flocking to the area.

“This is a testament to our local tourism operators and great news for local businesses and the local economy who benefit from every dollar international travellers spend right here in Bonner.

“It’s why I am a passionate advocate for building our local tourism sector. I have worked very closely with the Moreton Bay Discovery Centre to secure more than $450,000 worth of funding for its stage one development and I’ll continue to work closely with the team until the finished product is delivered for the Bonner community,” said Mr Vasta.

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 Queensland meant more people in local restaurants, staying in local hotels and visiting local tourist attractions.

“It’s encouraging to see international travellers continuing to visit our great nation 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 Bonner as the more tourists we attract to the region 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.