On the heels of a fresh analysis on Australia’s AUD12$m (US$9.2m) government bid fund ‘game-changer’, Tourism Australia releases their National Visitor Survey and reveals Brisbane’s growing reputation as a tourism destination.
Lord mayor Graham Quirk said the survey results found the number of Australian holidaymakers visiting Brisbane climbed 7.5% to AUD$1.74m in 2017.
Brisbane saw a rise of 7.7% in total visitor numbers, which was boosted by an 11.8% increase in the number of business visitors. “Total domestic expenditure in Brisbane reached an all-time high of AUD$4.1bn,” added Lord mayor Graham Quirk. The growth of domestic visitor expenditure in Brisbane (rising 15.3%) eclipsed the country’s annual percentage rise (5.8%) and Queensland (4.7%).
“The latest national results follow on from the recent International Visitor Survey, which found Brisbane attracted a record 1.3m international visitors during 2017 and expenditure reached an all-time high of AUD$2.245bn,” added Quirk.
The Lord mayor added that Brisbane’s strong calendar of events is a major drawcard, “helping to boost our domestic tourism offerings.” A key conference in the focus areas of health care and knowledge sharing is the four-day long International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) International Conference – set to launch in 2021.
Brisbane and the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) have won the right to host 1,500 global healthcare experts at the ISQua conference; which, held in Australia 19 years ago, will deliver more than AUD$3.6m directly into the Queensland economy. Brisbane’s key convention partners, Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane Marketing, led by the team at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, worked with Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited Group of companies (AGPAL), to secure the conference for Queensland.
Kate Jones, Queensland minister for Tourism Industry Development, said: “Securing the conference was another win for business and event tourism in Queensland.” She added that such business events attract tens of thousands of visitors to the region; with the majority of 2021’s allied health leaders coming from Europe, the UK and Asia.
Dr Stephen Clark, Group CEO of the not-for-profit AGPAL and a member of the ISQua board and chair of the Accreditation Council, noted that the conference will allow Australia to learn from the various international presenters. BCEC GM, Bob O‘Keeffe claimed that “Securing this scientific conference is affirmation of both Brisbane and the Centre’s reputation for hosting major international events.
“These events have benefit in fostering international collaboration, driving investment and delivering research outcomes,” added O’Keeffe.
Juliet Alabaster, GM of Brisbane Convention Bureau, said hosting ISQua signals that more people are recognising Brisbane as a suitable business event destination. “…We’re ramping up our focus on attracting more business events such as ISQua,” she said.
To find out more about Australia’s recent government bid, click here and to learn more about ISQua and the conference, click here.
