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THE tourism industry in Queensland has shone in the past year, with Brisbane and the Gold Coast remaining two of the country's hotspots for Aussies seeking a local getaway.
Tourism Australia's national visitor survey revealed that Brisbane's overall domestic visitor numbers climbed 5.3 per cent to a record 5.8 million, while Gold Coast numbers hit 3.66 million.
For Brisbane, the business visitor sector was a major calling card, with interstate numbers reaching 834,000.
The Gold Coast also experienced a 6.5 per cent jump in domestic visitor expenditure, accounting for $3 billion of the city's income in FY16.
Both cities saw rises in visitor numbers from Sydney, with holiday visitors from the New South Wales capital up 22.9 per cent for Brisbane and 9.2 per cent for the Gold Coast.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says Brisbane's results particularly shine the spotlight on Brisbane's profile as a major events capital.
"Major events are a key focus for us as they attract visitors to the city and support our hotels, restaurants, retailers and service providers," says Quirk.
"The Brisbane International tennis tournament in January, the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens in February and the World Science Festival Brisbane in March are all world-class events set to draw more and more visitors to the city."
Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter comment that his city's results reflected steady growth within the past year, despite a cautious industry in the wake of the Dreamworld tragedy.
"We are yet to see any data regarding the impact the tragedy may have had on the Gold Coast tourism industry and our community," says Winter.
"On average, the Gold Coast is growing faster than Queensland overall and weare working hard to continue to drive visitation to Australia's most popular holiday destination."
Both cities also continue to maintain a strong overseas interest, with Brisbane and the Gold Coast reaching record high numbers across the board in Tourism Australia's recent international visitor results.
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