Low-cost airline Bonza’s close connections with the region and the rise of foodie travel are being credited with the Sunshine Coast’s soaring tourism performance over winter.
Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey also shows the Coast enjoyed record interstate traveller numbers and increased length of stay, as well as significantly defying trends showing an overall decline in visitor numbers to Queensland for the year ending September 30.
For the year to September 30, the region attracted $4.2 billion in overnight visitor expenditure (OVE), which was up 11.8 per cent on the previous year, and 53.7 per cent ahead of pre-COVID 2019.
A total of 4.2 million visitors travelled here in the 12 months to September 2023, including a record 2.5 million holiday visitors, up 1.7 per cent compared with the year before, and up 12.9 per cent compared with 2019.
Importantly, visitors also stayed longer, with a record of more than 15.3 million nights recorded, up 5.6 per cent year on year (YOY), and 2.4 per cent ahead of 2019 results.
While actual visitor numbers grew only modestly over the year, the increase in length of stay is a big plus and can be largely attributed to Visit Sunshine Coast spreading its marketing campaigns further than the traditional seaside attraction – to what lies between the surf and the hinterland in the foodie, craft beer and distilling scene, wellness, trekking and adventure.
But the key to the surge in Sunshine Coast visitor numbers in 2023 was the return in force of the interstate market.
With Bonza’s new services from regional NSW and Victoria coming online over the first nine months of 2023 (and bringing more of regional Australia to the Sunshine Coast than ever before), interstate visitation grew by 14.3 per cent YOY to 1.1 million. Interstate visitors coming for a holiday on the Sunshine Coast grew 21.5 per cent YOY to 780,000 – a record number for the region.
NSW visitors grew 9.5 per cent YOY, while Melbourne – which is serviced by Bonza from Tullamarine and Avalon airports – grew 21 per cent YOY and the Victorian state growth was 13.1 per cent YOY (up 6.2 per cent on 2019).
Day trippers also grew strongly in the year to September 2023, with the 6.8 million visitors spending $907.9 million, up 39.9 per cent YOY (up 29 per cent on 2019).
While many destinations saw domestic traveller numbers plateau or slide during the most recent September quarter (July 1 to September 30), the Sunshine Coast bucked the trend during what is traditionally a quieter tourist season.
Queensland saw an overall decline in visitor numbers for the quarter, while the Sunshine Coast attracted 1.2 million visitors, which was up 29.8 per cent compared with the September quarter in 2022. Total nights stayed on the Sunshine Coast grew 33.1 per cent to 4.4 million compared with 2022, including 2.5 million nights from interstate visitors, up 35.8 per cent YOY.
As reported in Sunshine Coast News, Sunshine Coast Airport is forecasting highest ever passenger numbers for this holiday season, with up to half-a-million travellers expected.
A record number of inbound and outbound airline seats (476,000) are forecast for December and January: an increase of 27 per cent on the same period last year.
It follows a record November, with the airport now connecting to 14 destinations.
Commenting on the results, Visit Sunshine Coast head of industry and trade development Andrew Fairbairn said the whole of the region’s tourism industry deserved congratulations for performing so strongly in a highly competitive tourism environment.
“Australians have increasingly chosen to travel overseas over the past year, which has made attracting premium visitors even more difficult, but the quality of the Sunshine Coast brand and the desirability of our destination has enabled us to remain competitive, while other destinations have seen downturns,” he said.
“Visit Sunshine Coast’s marketing campaigns were targeted heavily towards rebuilding the interstate market, and with a return of direct flights from key cities, as well as the launch of new regional services via the Bonza network, we have been very successful in attracting both new and return interstate visitors.
“While our beaches and climate are well known, we have been showcasing the increasing diversity of what the Sunshine Coast offers, particularly our renowned food and dining.
“Our most recent campaign, Queensland’s Sunshine Pantry, is designed to tap into the rapidly growing interest in food tourism, just as our Craft Beer Capital of Australia campaign highlighted the Sunshine Coast’s strengths in the craft brewing sector.
“We are constantly trying to excite the market with new reasons to come to the Sunshine Coast, and while competitive pressures continue to grow, the recent forecast by Sunshine Coast Airport of record passenger movements for the summer holiday period suggests tourism numbers will continue to grow both in the short and medium terms.”
International visitor numbers saw gradual increases from some markets, but largely based on the return of visiting friends and relatives, who also stayed longer than traditional holiday travellers.
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