FIGURES DON’T LIE

A GROWING international component has long been recognised as vital for growth in the Gold Coast’s tourism sector.

Demographer Bernard Salt has been saying for years that China will be a key element in that growth, with the rise in the numbers of wealthy Asians wanting to come here promising an exciting future for our city. As we report today, latest figures show Chinese tourists are flooding in – but it is the dollars they are spending that show Salt’s predictions were on the money. In fact everyone involved in Gold Coast tourism has expected the China connection to blossom into a significant driver for local tourism and therefore the city’s economy.

This is great news but the Gold Coast has to keep working hard to ensure not just overseas tourists but also Aussies realise that this is the place to holiday.