Tourism Research Australia has this week released visitation data for the year ending March 2023 with record results for the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
A record $1.7 billion was spent by more than 2.3 million visitors in the Southern Great Barrier Reef (SGBR) region in the year ending March 2023 - an increase of 31.9% on the YE 2022 expenditure and an impressive 38.7% growth on 2019.
We have set ambitious forward Overnight Visitor Expenditure growth rates across the SGBR to reach our aspirational 2032 targets, and these figures give us great confidence that we are on track as a unified region, focused on growing industry, inspiring visitors and delivering social, environmental and economic benefits for community.
For more than a decade, the strategic marketing alliance between the Regional Tourism Organisations of Bundaberg, Gladstone and Capricorn, the communities they support and Tourism and Events Queensland has developed the Southern Great Barrier Reef into a destination of choice for Australian and international travellers.
Consumer research conducted in key markets across Australia by Tourism and Events Queensland continues to demonstrate that the Southern Great Barrier Reef is one of the most trusted and well-known destination brands in Queensland.
In the past three years, the SGBR has experienced incredible positive growth, with operators across the entire region reporting higher occupancy and visitation rates than they could ever have expected, especially in the face of a global pandemic.
Investment in tourism is truly paying off for the region’s economy.
