THE WAY WE WERE
THE Gold Coast’s thriving tourism industry is estimated to have suffered a $1 billion blow due to the coronavirus devastation.
The nation’s holiday capital attracted 13.5 per cent more visitors who spent 4.1 per cent more to $5.9 billion in 2019.
The data covers a year to December when the virus hit – and travel all but disappeared.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said strong support would be crucial to any recovery in the future.
THE Gold Coast attracted a record number of tourists in the year before COVID-19 crippled the city’s $6 billion industry.
National Visitor Survey and International Visitor Survey data released yesterday by Destination Gold Coast shows the number of tourists who visited the Gold Coast in 2019 was up 13.5 per cent.
These figures show the expenditure of tourists had gone up 4.1 per cent to $5.9 billion.
The data covers the 12 months to December 2019, ending just weeks before the COVID-19 crisis arrived in Australia in late January.
Within two weeks it was estimated the city had lost more than $500 million, with the figure now topping more than $1 billion.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said the data showed the strength of the industry before the economic downturn.
“At a minimum, COVID-19 has already cost Gold Coast’s tourism sector $1 billion, a figure that will increase by at least $310 million every month,” she said.
“At a time when the future of Gold Coast’s economy is so uncertain, we must draw strength and reassurance that the tourism sector will lead the local economy to recovery.
“Our number one priority as a city, after the immediate threat to our community’s health is neutralised, is to kickstart the recovery of the Gold Coast’s main economic driver to ensure our city bounces back fast.”
During the 2019 calendar year, international visitor expenditure dropped 5.4 per cent to $1.3 billion while visitation was up 3.1 per cent to 1.1 million.
Destination Gold Coast had strong plans for boosting the industry in 2020 before the pandemic hit the economy.
A $2 million campaign marketing the Gold Coast to the lucrative over-50s market launched the day after the city recorded its first case of COVID-19.
A pitch to the lucrative New Zealand market and domestic tourists in early March came to a rapid end once overseas and interstate travel was curtailed by border closures.
Ms Battista said the data proved the strength of the Gold Coast as a tourism market before the pandemic.
“Growth in international visitation was strong, outperforming both Queensland and Australian rates, though the domestic tourism market is where Gold Coast really dominates,” she said.
“The Coast’s top international source market of China was up 2.2 per cent to 275,000 visitors before the compounded events of the tragic Australian bushfires and outbreak of COVID-19 decimated demand for international travel.
“Overall, the Gold Coast once again proved why it is the titan of Queensland’s tourism economy and why strong support from all levels of government is justified to help the Gold Coast recover quickly from COVID-19.”