Visitors flock to the Sunshine Coast

AccomNews Friday, June 9, 2017

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The Sunshine Coast attracted 288,000 international visitors to the year ending March 2017, up 11.6 percent and contributing $240 million in visitor expenditure to the economy.

The International Visitor Statistics were released by Tourism Research Australia and shows New Zealand remains the Sunshine Coast’s largest inbound market, growing 5.5 percent to 66,000 visitors.

Europe produced the biggest increases, with the Scandinavian market growing 43.1 percent in the year to March 2017, and Germany increasing by 14.9 percent to 35,000 visitors. Extensive promotion in America saw the US market to the Sunshine Coast grow 11.8 percent year on year. The UK and Asian markets also showed encouraging growth.

CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast (VSC) Simon Latchford said the unprecedented growth and number of international tourists arriving was showing no sign of slowing down.

“I think the tourism industry has had a tough couple of years where the downward turn in the economic cycle has impacted the region and this is now turning around to show positive increases and it has really been a combination of many factors aligning including a favourable Aussie dollar which has seen record international numbers for Australia, Queensland and a positive flow on effect for the Sunshine Coast.
“The world events hosted on the Coast last year including IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, Vaa World Outrigger Sprint Championship and Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games contributed to our position and boosted international visitation and visibility.

“It has also been the Sunshine Coast’s collective marketing campaigns through trade partners that continues to see consistent growth from our top four international source markets: New Zealand, the UK, Germany and the USA.
“From strategic partnerships with Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), tourism agencies and airlines through to working with industry to develop, market and promote our world class attractions, accommodation and food sector – continues to increase our global footprint.
“Crucially and looking ahead, our team is laying the ground work to build global interest, capacity and demand for the new Sunshine Coast Airport, which is scheduled to be completed in just over three years’ time,” added Mr Latchford.

For more information about International Visitor Statistics and to view the full report visit: www.tra.gov.au