Tourism scores record high for domestic visitation in Mackay

New statistics released today has seen record highs and three quarters of growth for domestic visitation in The Mackay Region.

A record 883,000 visitors for the year ending June 2017 saw an increase of 16% for the past 12 months. These statistics were made up of 445,000 business visitors (increase of 23.7%), 196,000 holiday visitors (increase of 25.6%) and 190,000 Visiting Friends and Relative (VFR) visitors (increase of 13.4%). 

Overnight expenditure increased 30%, while the average nights spent in the region also increased by 32%.

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson was elated to hear the record-high results as the region prepares to welcome its largest international performer, Sir Elton John, on Friday. 

“These are very positive statistics and something the whole community can celebrate and benefit from,” Mayor Greg Williamson said.

“The increase in both visitor numbers and expenditure is testament to the fact that Mackay is well and truly on the map for many travellers.”

Owner of Comfort Resort Blue Pacific at Blacks Beach, Nick Uit Den Bogaard, said the last few months have been ‘bloody beaut’ for his business.

“The statistics are very much in line with what has been happening in our business. We’ve seen an increase each month on previous years and it’s a good spread of corporate, leisure and international travellers; we have a lot of Germans coming through,” Mr Uit Den Bogaard said.

Mr Uit Den Bogaard said Mackay tourism operators and locals are really getting on board with becoming ambassadors for the region.

“As tourism operators, we must keep maintaining that personable and friendly welcome that we are known for, and it’s not hard to do that.”

Mackay Tourism’s General Manager Tas Webber said Mackay has been put on the bucket list for many visitors.

“Our hero experiences focus on nature, like sunrise on the beach with wallabies and kangaroos and platypus spotting at Eungella National Park, and these are the experiences that visitors are seeking out when planning a holiday,” Mr Webber said.

“We’ve now had three quarters of growth in both domestic and international visitation which is a great sign that Mackay’s tourism operators are doing things right.”

The latest National Visitor Survey (NVS) results are available on the Tourism Research Australia website at www.tra.gov.au
 

DomesticVisitation

Mackay Visitor Information Centre volunteer ambassador Deb Layton with visitors John and Rose Seymour on their trip up the coast from Nambucca Heads, NSW to Cairns.

 

*ENDS

Contact: 

Melissa Woods - Communications Officer

0448 994 180

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 

Published: 20- September 2017

 

#visitmackay #ourisaac