Brisbane is setting the pace as Queensland’s number one destination, breaking new international records and attracting four in every 10 visitors to the state.
The latest data from Tourism Research Australia shows Brisbane had a significant impact on Queensland’s domestic visitor economy from January to March 2025.
The city delivered 38% of the state’s visitation (2.3 million), 31% of visitor expenditure ($2 billion) and 30% of visitor nights (6.9 million).
Brisbane’s strength as a business hub also stood out, with domestic business travellers contributing nearly half (49%) of Queensland’s total business visitor spend, injecting more than $526 million into the economy.
Internationally, Brisbane’s global appeal is soaring. For the year ending March 2025, Brisbane saw international holiday visitors increase 18.2% year-on-year (594,000), while setting a new record of 7.4 million holiday nights, up 40.9% year-on-year.
The city set new records for visitation from the USA, Indonesia and India, while China visitation grew 28.4% year-on-year, showing strong growth in line with an increasing number of direct flights.
Brisbane’s top 5 international markets
- New Zealand – 248,000, up 6.8% YoY, up 8.1% on 2019
- United Kingdom – 136,000, up 0.1% YoY, up 5.4% on 2019
- United States of America – 118,000, up 6.3% YoY, up 7.7% on 2019 – RECORD
- China – 112,000, up 28.4% YoY, down 40.4% on 2019
- South Korea – 61,000 up 4.1% YoY, up 41.2% on 2019
“Brisbane is Australia’s lifestyle capital with so much to see and do, and we’ve proved to the world we’re far more than just a stopover destination,” said Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
“International visitors are increasingly drawn to our world-class lifestyle precincts, vibrant dining and entertainment scene, major events and stunning natural attractions, which cement our reputation as a must-visit city.
“There’s truly no place like Brisbane and the latest tourism data clearly reflects that.”
