Visitor growth continues to be strong across Capricorn Region to year ending June 2023!
Posted on October 4th, 2023
Official Tourism Research Australia (TRA) data released recently confirmed 1,213,000 domestic visitors, staying for 4,220,000 visitor nights are spending $855 Million dollars in the Capricorn region to the year ending June 2023. On average, visitors are staying 3.5 nights and spending $203 per night and $705 per visit.
Whether staying for a holiday, business, or visiting friends and relatives (VFR), in our region straddling the Tropic of Capricorn, all three precincts of the Capricorn Coast/Islands, Rockhampton region, and the Central Queensland Highlands continue to be strong.
The statistics confirm trends which reflect industry feedback on the ground:
- Strong growth in domestic holiday visitors in the Central Queensland Highlands, particularly to Carnarvon Gorge, have revealed an 8.1% growth over the past three years with 1,466,000 visitor nights to the year ending June 2023.
- The average length of stay of 4.4 nights and spend per visitor of $798 on the Capricorn Coast and islands reflects its strength mainly in leisure visitors (holiday and VFR) showing an 18.5% growth over the past three years.
- Visitors to the Rockhampton region remain strong, particularly from the domestic Business sector, staying for an average of 2.8 nights and spending $252 per night. Major events are also key to growing leisure visitation to our Beef, Barra and Sporting capital of Central Queensland.
Our domestic source markets from within Queensland have all grown, with movement within the greater Southern Great Barrier Reef destination (which includes Capricorn, Gladstone and Bundaberg regions) reflecting strong inter-regional growth – in other words locals, many of whom who have relocated here, just love holidaying in their SGBR backyard!
Visitors from Brisbane and south-east Queensland, particularly from the Sunshine Coast remain strong, with our interstate markets growing.
Our international numbers are returning, with 45,000 visitors recorded for the Southern Great Barrier Reef destination from January to June 2023. International visitors stay longer so there is huge opportunity for us to grow this sector as we continue to work in partnership with our regional tourism partners and Tourism and Events Queensland under our Southern Great Barrier Reef destination brand.
