Gold Coast down but not out
GOLD COAST – International visitors to the Gold Coast fell by 2.7 percent, while international visitor spend increased 1.1 percent during the toughest year for Australia’s tourism industry in recent times.
Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter said more than 817,800 international tourists spent more than A$948 million on the Gold Coast last year, according to figures released by Tourism Research Australia.
“The Gold Coast has held its own during a period which has been extraordinarily challenging for all businesses across all parts of Australia, understandably national, state and regional international visitor numbers have been impacted,†he said.
“Times will get better, and with the tactical marketing activity of Gold Coast Tourism, introduction of more airline access into the city, investment in new or upgraded tourism assets and a unified tourism industry we will be better placed than any other destination in Australia to see through the tough times and capitalise when the turn around comes,†Winter said.
The best performing international source markets by visitor number were New Zealand, Japan and China, but of those three only China showed an increase on 2007 figures.
Other figures show that Australia overall saw 16,000-plus fewer international tourists in October as the effects of the financial crisis began to bite.
International travellers totalled 451,800 in October 2008, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.
The biggest slump was from Japanese tourists, with 12,600 fewer visiting – a drop of 27 per cent.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025