Whitsundays cashing in on tourism numbers

1 SEPTEMBER 2016: A healthy boost in visitor numbers is great but a massive jump in the amount the spend while visiting the Whitsundays is tremendous news for jobs and the regional economy. International Visitor Survey figures released yesterday show 220,000 international visitors came to the Whitsundays and spent $213 million in the year to June 2016. This is great news for North Queensland and the 4,835 local tourism jobs. The Tourism Research Australia figures represent a 6 per cent growth in visitor numbers and growth of 45 per cent in visitor spend.The survey shows the Whitsundays tourism industry continues to register strong growth – driving local jobs and economic growth. Tourism remains an important focus for the Liberal National Government, with a vibrant tourism sector forecast to continue its growth trajectory over the next decade. To support the tourism industry to grow further, the Liberal National Government had committed a record $629 million for Tourism Australia to market Australia overseas. Australia’s tourism industry is currently growing three times as fast as the rest of the Australian economy.The International Visitor Survey is available on the Tourism Research Australia website: www.tra.gov.au