Focus on local tourism
Record for domestic visitation
THE new CEO of the region’s newly-merged tourism organisation said he would make cracking the $1 billion mark for domestic spending a key priority in the coming 12 months.
A record number of Australians visited Toowoomba and the Darling Downs in the past year, according to new government data.
Statistics from the National Visitor Survey, released today by the Federal Government, revealed 2.1 million domestic tourists spent more than $828 million in the Southern Queensland Country Tourism region in the year ending March 2019.
The data showed overnight spending was up nearly 30 per cent, which was welcomed by SQCT CEO Peter Homan.
“Having such a solid increase is going to help us so much for the future – it’s very positive and pleasing,” he said.
“We’ve still got a lot to work with in the domestic market.
“There are some parts of our region that people don’t even know about.
“(Hitting the $1 billion mark) will be our target.”
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said it was a sign of Queensland’s positive industry growth.
“We’re committed to growing our tourism industry to create jobs in Toowoomba,” she said.
“Today’s data shows our strategy to grow this sector is working.
“Tourism is of growing importance to our local economy. We’ll work with tourism operators to market Toowoomba and ensure these numbers continue to grow in the future.”
It comes less than a month after the International Visitor Survey revealed a 15.5 per cent increase in the number of overseas tourists coming to the region during the same time period. But Mr Homan said international tourism was still in its infancy in the region and should play second-fiddle to domestic visitation for the moment.
“We might take a different view of international markets in the future, but we’re a fair way away yet,” he said.