Gold Coast records $10 billion in tourism spending for first time in its history

The Gold Coast has become the first Australian tourism destination outside of Sydney and Melbourne to record $10 billion in annual visitor expenditure, with Tourism and Events Queensland confirming the milestone was reached in the past financial year as the city's year-round appeal strengthened across domestic and international markets.

The result represents a 28 per cent increase from the pre-pandemic peak, driven by a combination of record international visitor numbers from Japan, South Korea, and India, sustained domestic leisure demand, and a 40 per cent increase in business events revenue following the opening of the expanded Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

GCCC chief executive Patricia Hines said the $10 billion figure represented a fundamental shift in the Gold Coast's economic identity. "This city built its prosperity on beachgoers in board shorts. Today it is equally a business destination, a health and wellness destination, and an international food culture destination," she said.

The convention centre expansion, completed 18 months ago, increased the facility's capacity from 6,000 to 9,500 delegates and has since hosted 23 major national and international conferences, including the World Congress of Cardiologists and the International Property Council's Asia-Pacific summit.

Accommodation investment has kept pace with demand, with 1,800 new hotel rooms added to the city's stock in the past three years across branded properties from Marriott, IHG, and Accor. A further 1,200 rooms are under construction in the Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise precincts.

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