INTERNATIONAL VISITORS STAYING LONGER IN THE OUTBACK

Queensland’s Outback is keeping international visitors enthralled for longer, according to the latest International Visitor Survey (IVS).

Tourism Minister Margaret Keech said the number of nights spent by international visitors in the Outback in the year ending December 2006 was up by nearly a third.

“These figures show that international visitors are staying in the Outback much longer, with a rise of 31 per cent in international visitor nights,” Mrs Keech said.

“This is a significant increase and a fantastic result for the Outback.

“There is such a diverse range of activities and attractions for visitors to see and do, and this is reflected in this increase as international visitors want to spend more time in Outback destinations.

Mrs Keech said the figures showed that German visitor numbers also rose.

“Germans have always loved Queensland, and their love of Outback has only grown in the past 12 months,” she said.

“Germany is the Outback’s second largest source market for international visitors and their numbers have grown by eight per cent, as well a huge 36 per cent in visitor nights.”

Overall there were 37,951 international visitors to the Queensland Outback in the past year.

Mrs Keech said the great results were a testament to the hard work being done by Tourism Queensland, the Outback Queensland Tourism Authority and the industry.

“Tourism injected $3.19 billion into the Queensland economy in the last calendar year, and it is an excellent result to see such strong figures continuing to bolster Outback tourism.

“More importantly this equals real economic returns and more job opportunities for Queensland communities.”

Media Contact: Jo Gibbons 3224 2007 or David Smith 3225 1005/ 0409496534