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INTERNATIONAL tourism is up seven per cent on the Gold Coast, according to the International Visitor Survey released today by Tourism Research Australia.
The Gold Coast outperformed tropical North Queensland in 2013, another holiday hotspot, and fell only marginally short of the Whitsundays 10 per cent increase.
Member for Currumbin and tourism minister Jann Stuckey (pictured) says Gold Coast international visitation grew to 792,000, a promising result for the Newman government 20-year tourism plan, Destination Success.
Stuckey says New Zealand is still the largest international market visiting the state, but the money is on Asia and especially China, which are fast on the rise.
“Overall visitation from Asia increased six per cent to 814,000 visitors who spent $1.7 billion in Queensland during the year to December 2013.
“China remained our fastest growing and largest international market by visitor expenditure. The state welcomed an additional 42,000 Chinese visitors, spending $605 million on trips to Queensland in 2013.”
The results have cemented Queensland’s tourism sector as the second best performing in Australia.
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