International Visitors Love The Whitsundays

Visitor numbers for the Whitsunday region are on the rise and looking hopeful with five of the region’s seven top source markets up when compared with last year.

Recent figures released on Tuesday December 12, show that overall, the number of international visitors visiting the Whitsundays was at 247,000 people an 8.2% year-on-year for the 12 months ending September 30, 2017.

Of these 247,000 visitors, 238,000 were on holiday, and this figure is also up year-on-year, by 7.9 per cent.

Additionally five of the Whitsundays’ top seven overseas source markets were up when compared to the same 12-month period last year.

Tourism Whitsundays CEO Craig Turner said the figures were very encouraging, especially given it had been a challenging 12 months for the industry.

“With the overall figure for international holidaymakers up by 7.9 per cent and five of our top source markets up, I am very pleased with these latest figures, especially after it has been such a challenging year for our tourism operators,” he said.

Whitsundays’ number one market is the UK and this was up 11.5%, with 55,000 visitors, the second largest market was Germany, up by 14.9%, with 37,000 visitors, followed by China, with an increase of 14%, to 22,000 visitors.

There was a decline in visitors from the USA and New Zealand markets in the reporting period, but Mr Turner commends the Whitsunday tourism industry on their resilience.

Source: Whitsunday Times.