BRISBANE REMAINS STATE'S MOST VISITED REGION BY DOMESTIC HOLIDAYMAKERS

Brisbane’s holidaymaker market is booming with a massive 17 per cent more domestic visitors making the trip the last year, Tourism Minister Margaret keech announced today.

Mrs Keech said the latest National Visitor Survey showed more than 1.4 million domestic tourists came to Brisbane for a holiday in the year ending December 2006, up from 1.2 million the previous year.

The survey showed domestic holidaymakers were also spending more nights in Brisbane, she said.

“Domestic tourism visitor nights in Brisbane increased by 6 per cent, better than the whole state’s visitor night growth of 1.5 per cent for the same period,’’ said Mrs Keech.

“What this result means is that domestic tourism injected more than $2.4 billion, including airfares and long distance transport costs, into Brisbane’s economy during the past year.

“That makes it the fourth highest tourism expenditure region in Australia, a great outcome.

“Domestic visitors also spent 5.3 million visitor nights in Brisbane, a 25 per cent increase for the same period last year.

“Brisbane is Australia’s fastest growing capital city and with that we are seeing increases in great tourism opportunities and related infrastructure.

“The development of new tourism accommodation and destinations such as the new Beattie Government funded Gallery of Modern Art are pivotal in ensuring domestic tourism growth continues.”

Mrs Keech said Brisbane had also cemented its position as Queensland’s premier business tourism destination.

“Business visitors accounted for 24 per cent of tourists to the city, with visitation and visitor nights from this market increasing by 7 per cent last year,” she said.

“The Beattie Government is committed to growing the business tourism industry, funding a multimillion dollar expansion of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.”

Brisbane Marketing CEO, David Regan, said Brisbane had a diverse tourism industry that continued to redefine the traditional urban holiday experience.

“We have been working closely with Tourism Queensland and industry to promote and educate domestic holiday makers about the many wonderful holiday experiences available in Brisbane,” he said.

“Brisbane also continues to grow as a premier business tourism destination led by Brisbane Marketing’s award winning convention bureau.

“These great results are a testament to the hard work and strong partnerships that exist between state and local tourism as well as throughout the Greater Brisbane tourism industry.”

Media contact: Jo Gibbons 3224 2007