The latest international tourism figures from Tourism Research Australia show strong growth in visitor numbers to our region.
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The figures from the International Visitor Survey show more international tourists are visiting the NSW North Coast Tourism Region, and they are staying longer and spending more.
“These figures demonstrate that the NSW North Coast is still a preferred destination for international tourists, and is becoming more popular with visitors choosing to stay in the region for longer,” Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker said.
“Around 331,000 international tourists visited the NSW North Coast Tourism Region (defined as the region starting north of the Hunter all the way to the Queensland border) in 2016 and spent $198 million. That’s a 12 per cent increase in visitor numbers on the previous year, and a 28 per cent increase over the past three years.
“The average spend per person has increased to $598, up 28 per cent over three years. Our region hosted 3.5 million visitor nights in 2016, up 12 per cent over the previous year and 19 per cent over three years.
“The survey confirms the NSW North Coast tourism industry continues to register strong growth – driving local jobs and economic growth.
“Figures produced by the Transport and Tourism Forum in 2015 estimated there were more than 3500 people in the Cowper electorate directly employed in tourism.
“The growth in visitor numbers since that time is delivering more jobs for locals and new opportunities for business owners.
“Tourism remains an important focus for the government, with our vibrant tourism sector forecast to continue its growth trajectory over the next decade.”