$200 million lost as Cairns tourists drop
INTERNATIONAL visitors to the Far North fell by 106,000 last year with their spending plunging by nearly $200 million to $813 million.
Figures from the 2009 International Visitor Survey released today show an alarming drop in numbers with a 14 per cent drop to 651,000, the biggest fall in Queensland.
Expenditure crashed by $194 million to $813 million, a 19 per cent decrease.
Overseas visitors to Queensland topped 1.968m, down four per cent (83,000) and expenditure fell $168 million to $3.883 million.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast increased their share of tourists with 913,000 and 813,000, both up 2 per cent.
They spent $1.341 billion in Brisbane (down 6 per cent or $84 million) and $1.012 billion on the Gold Coast (down $4 million).
Chinese visitors boosted the figures for both the state and the region.
The survey revealed 153,000 Chinese visitors came to the state, a 15 per cent rise.
In the Far North Chinese numbers were 41,000, a 41 per cent increase.
Full story in The Cairns Post tomorrow.
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Exodus: A slump in tourism dollars have left the Cairns region out of pocket.
$194 million hit to Far Northern tourism
THE tourism industry took a $194 million hit last year with international visitors to the Far North falling by 106,000 to 651,000.
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