Australia’s domestic tourism boom continues to drive business for local operators with The Whitsundays reporting its biggest year of domestic visitation in 2022.
National Visitor Survey (NVS) data released in December showed a record 923,000 domestic visitors, who spent $1.5 billion dollars in The Whitsundays, an increase of 179% on 2019 data.
Queenslanders made up the majority of the visitors (69%) but interstate travellers also reached new records up 18.9% on 2019 figures to 274,000.
“Select domestic markets have always known about the attraction of The Whitsundays, but the growth we are seeing in domestic visitation shows that more of Australia is now familiar and confident about this unique holiday experience,” said Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer, Rick Hamilton.
“It is encouraging to see more of Australia discovering and experiencing The Whitsundays because we can compete with anywhere in the world for the range of experiences, unique attractions and location.
The Whitsundays is heavily reliant on tourism with 1 in 3 jobs in the region directly related to tourism, and 40% of all visitation to the Great Barrier Reef departing from the area.
“These results once again underline the significant contribution tourism makes here,” Hamilton said.
“As a region we rely on tourism for 1 in 3 jobs. We have world-class operators, accommodation options and businesses all working to deliver outstanding holidays to vacationers in The Whitsundays, whatever their budget.”
Tourism Whitsundays Chair, Julie Telford, said length of stays have also increased with visitors staying an average of 5.2 nights.
“There’s so much to do and enjoy in The Whitsundays that every minute of that time can be booked onto a different experience,” she said.