)
THE strong Australian dollar hasn't detered Australians from choosing the Gold Coast over international destinations for their holidays.
Data released by Tourism Research Australia for the 2012 calendar year shows 11.7 million people visited the Gold Coast last year and spent a combined $4.6 billion.
Of those, 3.5 million were domestic overnight travellers, a 7 per cent increase on the previous year.
Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter says the latest data comes as relief to the industry.
“Last year, Australian overnight visitors spent $3.1 billion on the Gold Coast on things like dining, attractions, entertainment and accommodation, which is a huge injection to the local economy,” Winter says.
“This is a 14 per cent increase in domestic visitor spending over 12 months, reflecting a boost in consumer confidence which has flown-on-effects to local business and employment.
“The standout source market was Brisbane, with a 28 per cent increase in overnight holidaymakers. This was followed by Sydney; up 17 per cent, and Melbourne; up 10 per cent.
“The drive market remains the single largest source of visitation to the Gold Coast, with the majority of daytrips originating from Brisbane, followed by greater South East Queensland.
Last year the Gold Coast welcomed an additional 900,000 day-trippers.
“Over the past eight months, Gold Coast Tourism has delivered a comprehensive calendar of marketing activity in the region’s key source markets – Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne," Winter says.
“The ‘Famous for Fun’ campaign has aired on national television, radio and digital channels. From the strong results, it’s clear our message is ringing true with domestic consumers."
Get our daily business news
Sign up to our free email news updates.
)
)
)
)
)
