Queensland’s already fruitful tourism industry has received a huge boost after recent data released by Tourism Research Australia revealed increased spending in the sector over the last twelve months. Tourism has long been a great source of revenue and income for the state, but according to this new data it has reached new heights.
This new information shows that the hospitality industry, as well as the tourism one, received an incremental boost of nearly $1 billion. It revealed that an additional $950 million extra had been spent by domestic travellers in the Sunshine State.
An incredible increase in domestic spend
When speaking at Southbank TAFE to trainees preparing for jobs in the tourism sector, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that the development of the industry and the subsequent expenditure is a result of the Government’s focus on supporting jobs growth.
“We’ve always said we’d be a government that put job creation front and centre. Seeing this increased expenditure by Australians who have chosen to travel to Queensland will support jobs like the roles these young people are training for today,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
The year ending 2016 saw record results for domestic travel within Australia. Broken down into overnight and day trips:
- Domestic overnight trips – saw an increase of 7 per cent at 88.9 million. Spending also rose 6 per cent to $59 billion.
- Day trips – increased, going up 11 per cent to reach what is also a record high of 187 million taken. The spend on day trips increased 7 per cent to a record $19.6 billion.
In Queensland alone, overnight trips and regional expenditure went up significantly over the last twelve months. The number of visitors rose 6 per cent to 20.2 million, while the spend increased 7 per cent to hit $14.6 billion.
Upcoming events will potentially see further increase in job opportunities
There couldn’t be a better time to look for work in the tourism and hospitality industries in Queensland. In a separate announcement, Tourism and Major Events Minister Kate Jones revealed that there will be funding made available for 14 upcoming events to be held in the state.
Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) will support the 14 events through $252,000 in funding. According to Ms Jones, since its launch in May 2015, TEQ’s destination events funding program had provided support for 91 events State-wide.
“TEQ’s Queensland Destination Events Program (QDEP) is an important element of the Government’s investment in the tourism industry. Following the latest round of grants, we have now invested more than $3.7 million in events throughout Queensland,” she said.
Here is a breakdown of the upcoming event supported by the QDEP:
| Event | Destination | Date | Funding Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Planting | Brisbane | 28-30 April 2017 | $24,000 |
| Straddie Salute Triathlon Festival | Brisbane | 19-21 May 2017 | $24,000 |
| Gatton Heavy Horse & Heritage Festival Field Days 40th Anniversary | Brisbane | 29 April-1 May 2017 | $10,000 |
| Golden Mount Festival | Capricorn | 27 April-1 May 2017 | $10,000 |
| Relish Food & Wine Festival | Fraser Coast | 3 June 2017 | $15,000 |
| Gold Coast Film Festival | Gold Coast | 20-30 April 2017 | $40,000 |
| Surfers Paradise LIVE | Gold Coast | 28 April-1 May 2017 | $10,000 |
| Burleigh Pro | Gold Coast | 25-28 January 2018 | $20,000 |
| Easter In The Country Roma (EITC) | Outback | 13-17 April 2017 | $20,000 |
| Outback Festival | Outback | 19-23 September 2017 | $24,000 |
| Easter Vintage Festival | Southern Qld Country | 15 17 April 2017 | $10,000 |
| First Coat Festival | Southern Qld Country | 19 21 May 2017 | $10,000 |
| Opera in Jimbour | Southern Qld Country | 22 July 2017 | $20,000 |
| Feast of the Senses | Tropical North Queensland | 24-28 March 2017 | $15,000 |
The tourism industry has always been and will continue to be a burgeoning one in the Sunshine State. The coming months and years will offer fantastic scope, variety and opportunities for people looking for job opportunities in the sector.
