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IN CASE there was any doubt the Gold Coast remains one of the nation's key tourist hotspots, the city has once again beaten records for its number of international visitors in 2017.
The International Visitor Survey (IVS) conducted by Gold Coast Tourism revealed a 13.9 per cent increase in visitor traffic during 2017, as a total of 1.027 million people flocked to the beach city for business and pleasure.
According to the survey, vacationers were largely to thank for the increase, accounting for approximately 812,000 visitors during the period.
Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter says the city remains a favourite destination for tourists who deliver a significant contribution to the city's wealth year-on-year.
"The Gold Coast continues to be the key driver for visitors to Queensland, with almost half of all international visitors to the state coming here," says Winter.
"International visitors spent $1.2 billion in this period further evidence we are consolidating our appeal as the nation's most favoured destination."
Winter says the Gold Coast isonly just scratching the surface of its full potential as a global destination as the Commonwealth Games loom.
"As we approach the GC2018Commonwealth Games, we will drive the growth of the $5.1 billion tourism industry through the implementation of our new Marketing Strategy, concurrent with growth of our new brand position," he says.
China accounted for a 20.8 per cent traffic increase of 292,000 visitors to the Gold Coast, making it the largest contributor to 2017's boosted figures.
The IVS data also revealed the Gold Coast as a favoured destination for New Zealand, the UK, Japan and the US.
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