By Margaret Maccoll
Noosa is again leading the Sunshine Coast and Queensland in tourist growth with both tourist visits and spending on the increase.
The latest international visitor survey (IVS) data for the year ending March 2017 shows Noosa’s positive tourism growth is continuing.
Tourism Noosa CEO Damien Massingham said that the international results revealed that international visitor numbers and spend in Noosa has been on the rise since 2013.
“Noosa’s international spend increased 7.1 per cent to $98.3 million as compared to the whole of the Sunshine Coast increasing by 1.7 per cent and the total Queensland spend up 2.6 per cent,” he said.
“Noosa visitor numbers are also up 16.7 per cent to 163,000 compared to the whole of Sunshine Coast increase of 11.6 per cent and Queensland increasing by 6.8 per cent.”
“This is the fourth annual increase in both international spend and visitor numbers in Noosa for a March quarter.”
Damien said the UK remained Noosa’s largest international visitor group with 39,000 visitors making it an increase in numbers of almost four per cent.
The Brits are also spending more. The recent figures show they have spent $18.6 million in the region, an increase of almost 20 per cent.
And it isn’t only more British coming to Noosa with visitors from New Zealand, Germany and the US on the rise. Visitor numbers from NZ grew eight per cent to 22,600, they rose 22 per cent from Germany to 24,000 and there were 8.5 per cent more people or 9000 visiting from the USA ,up 8.5 per cent.”
Damien said the increase was a reflection of Tourism Noosa’s active marketing in key high-yielding international markets which was guided by the Noosa Global Market Strategy launched 18 months ago.
“This is great news for Noosa and benefits all in Noosa as this additional injection of dollars into our economy means that local jobs are retained and created,” he said.
