News & Announcements

Over the past month I have had the pleasure of travelling throughout the state alongside Tourism and Events Queensland’s newly appointed CEO Trish O’Callaghan. From Hervey Bay to the Outback, it has been fantastic getting into region, meeting with members and visiting local communities. Over cups of coffee, Trish and I discovered more ways in which we can better help to generate growth and prosperity for our visitor economy.
 

The 2023-24 Federal Government Budget was handed down yesterday and includes several key funding commitments aimed at supporting the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry. We breakdown and share these major initiatives with you in our Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) overview. 

Earlier this month we welcomed the release of the latest national visitor survey results. The numbers paint a glowing picture of tourism success in Queensland for 2022. Our sunshine state was the most lucrative destination in Australia, with 26.5 million overnight visitors and $30 billion in overnight visitor expenditure. A remarkable achievement made more special when we consider that the $30 billion figure eclipses pre-pandemic earnings.

While we should take the time to rejoice in these accomplishments, our industry is feeling the tides of success shift. The thriving domestic market that kept our industry going over the last three years is showing signs of softening. Many operators are watching profit margins reduce as belts tighten with the rising cost-of-living. In the face of these developing concerns, our industry is also being held back by widespread workforce shortages and accommodation shortages for workers. 

By now you have likely heard of Queensland’s remarkable success at the 2022 Australian Tourism Awards. I had the honor of attending the national awards in Sydney earlier this month with a large, and proudly vocal, delegation of Queensland representatives. Overall, our state celebrated a remarkable night by accepting seven gold, three silver and six bronze. The largest number of accolades and the highest gold tally of all states and territories.

In a world of 8 billion people and almost 200 countries, tourism has the power to make the global feel small, intimate, and accessible. Although we have endured a prolonged period of separation from the outside world, the time has come to reconnect and remind our global community that Australia and Queensland are the place to work, study, and play.

Securing Queensland’s position as an attractive destination for students and skilled workers is critical for our long-term success. It is a message that QTIC, along with our counterparts from other peak industry bodies, have long been sharing with government, and it is a drum we will continue beating for years to come.

As tourism operators across the nation rang in the new year, 2022 was capped off with an affirmation that the recovery of our tourism sector has been driven by domestic travel. The enthusiastic demands of day-trippers and holidaymakers have kept hotel rooms occupied, restaurant kitchens open and guest experiences bustling over the past year. 

Earlier this month, we shared the great news that festive season travellers delivered a mammoth $3 billion to Queensland. From 10 December to 9 January, overnight visitors were up almost 2.5 per cent on the 2021 peak season. It is predicted that the total number of guests travelling throughout Queensland during the Christmas and New Year season will be more than 1.5 million.

As we wrap up the year and reflect on the last 12 months, it is remarkable to see how far our industry and tourism community has come. The approaching Christmas holiday period marks the first in two years in which Queensland’s tourism sector will be unimpeded by border closures and restrictions.

After contending with strict social mandates and snap lockdowns, the recovery of our tourism sector has been nothing short of spectacular. We owe much of this renewal to an undiminished appetite by Australians for travel. Throughout the last year, we have seen the desire to explore, to connect with community and people, and to live new experiences remain untarnished as domestic visitor spending soared. Our industry will continue to grow and thrive thanks to this irrepressible urge to travel.

Almost five months after Labour’s election victory in May, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered the Australian Government’s first budget last week. The breakdown of the budget reminds us of the critical importance of advocacy within our industry. As one of the last sectors to recover from the effects of the global pandemic, it is more important than ever for tourism to receive the funding and support it merits. While families and healthcare were the big winners of the Albanese Government’s Budget, tourism will also see an injection of investment in critical sectors.