09 May 2023
Words Josh Mangleson Informer 106

Gold Coast Tourism By The Numbers

Although the challenges of state borders acting as barriers for tourism operators seem in some ways a distant memory, Queensland’s borders only reopened a little over a year ago — 17 December 2021 to be precise.

This created a “false start” for Gold Coast tourism leading into 2022, with the traditional Christmas and New Year heavy trading period missed by many. But all signs now suggest the Gold Coast is well and truly back as a top tourist destination nationally. 

According to Tourism Research Australia, the Gold Coast saw over 3.7 million domestic overnight visitors stay a total of nearly 13.7 million nights in the year ending September 2022, making it the fifth most popular tourist destination in the country by total trips and the top non-capital city destination. 

While these statistics are still only available to September 2022 as of the time of writing, they still paint a very positive picture for the Gold Coast. And incredibly, these numbers aren’t helped by the return of international tourism, which though long anticipated is yet to materialise.

Tourism data company AirDNA reports the Gold Coast saw an average occupancy rate of 80 per cent over the 12 months to February 2023, with an Average Daily Rate (ADR) of $236 for the year. ADRs have continued to climb month-on-month across this whole period, reportedly sitting at $308 in January 2023 after starting out at just $188 in February 2022, representing whopping growth of 64 per cent annually.

Similarly, Howarth HTL’s latest Hotel Market Outlook for the year ending December 2022 reports the Gold Coast’s RevPAR has increased by 69.5 per cent compared to the previous year, and is up 36.1 per cent compared to 2019, highlighting how strongly tourism has rebounded on the Gold Coast compared even to pre-Covid market conditions.

Perhaps most impressive are on-the-ground reports of exceptional recent holiday season results from around the Gold Coast. One client with a longstanding relationship with ResortBrokers who operates a familyfriendly resort in Burleigh Heads reported seeing their strongest revenue month in January 2023 in over 26 years of trading, a remarkable result indicating that tourism is well and truly back.

And this isn’t just a southern Gold Coast boom either. On the Gold Coast’s northern end, a family-friendly beachside high rise on Main Beach saw similarly outstanding results which are outlined below. There’s clear evidence of a modest season last year compared with recent trading, with ADRs and occupancy consistently up, leading to higher overall RevPAR.

Concerns over sustainability of strong domestic tourism markets such as the Gold Coast are being raised as cost of living pressures climb across the nation. But international tourists have only just started to dent markets they have traditionally played a much larger role in. Tourism Research Australia’s forecast to 2025 suggests international visitation is set to continue to flow into Australia this year, with an expected increase of 78.8 per cent in inbound visitors compared to last year. This should put sure footings under the Gold Coast’s tourism market as it surges further forward into an exciting period for operators.