The Queensland Government is celebrating a new record for international visitor expenditure, which topped $6.3 billion for the year ending March 2025.
New data published today by Tourism Research Australia shows international holiday visitors spent a record $3.1 billion, surpassing pre-Covid levels for the very first time.
Visitors from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, France and Indonesia led the charge, all spending a record amount while they holidaying in Queensland.
The new figures show Queensland’s international aviation capacity has also rebounded strongly, dominating Australia to exceed the national average.
Minister for the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Andrew Powell said the figures underscored Queensland’s resilience, and growing global appeal.
“Queensland has recorded its highest-ever international visitor spend and continues to be a standout for holidaymakers,” Minister Powell said.
“It’s exciting to see we’re already on track to reach the goals set out in Destination 2045, where we expect to double total visitor expenditure to reach $84 billion a year.
“With the world’s attention turning to us ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we’re in a strong position to build on this momentum and deliver long-term growth for our visitor economy.
“We are delivering on the change that we promised, with a once-in-a-generation event to accelerate legacy projects and connectivity, fueling a stronger economy that creates a better lifestyle for every Queenslander.”
The Government has announced a visionary 20-year tourism plan Destination 2045, which it says will further strengthen the industry after a decade of Labor’s dithering and disregard.
To kick-start the delivery of Destination 2045, the Government has pledged $446 million over four years for a new dedicated fund to attract world-class events to Queensland, unlock air routes through the Connecting Queensland Fund to drive further visitation, and new eco-tourism experiences.
Queensland’s regional drawcards have played a strong role in boosting international visitor spending, the Gold Coast leading the charge to boost expenditure by 16.7% over the year to $1.3 billion.
Tropical North Queensland was runner up at $1.08 billion (a 13.7% increase), followed by Southern Great Barrier Reef (up 26.5% to $107.5 million), Whitsundays (up 18% to $243.3 million), Queensland Country (up 4.5% to $120.4 million), and Fraser Coast (up 3.7% to $43.6 million).
New Domestic Tourism Statistics (DoTS) – also released today – show the resilience of Queensland’s tourism industry after severe weather events across the State in the first quarter, including Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO, Craig Davidson said that while the domestic results have softened slightly, Queensland’s resilience cannot be understated.
“We know that a number of regions, including the outback, are still struggling to recover visitation after weather events earlier this year, but overall the figures show that the state has held strong,” Mr Davidson said.
“We continue to promote Queensland to Australia and the world through our exciting new brand campaign That Holiday Feeling and by working hard to attract high calibre events such as Magic Round, the Supercars in Townsville and on the Gold Coast, and the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, which we know brings people to the state and fill our hotels and restaurants.,” he said.
