Strong Growth Foundations for The Gympie Region

Our visitor economy is worth around $116.2 million each year and growing, demonstrating the significant economic contribution tourism makes to regional prosperity. This substantial economic impact supports employment, business development, and community infrastructure whilst diversifying the regional economy beyond traditional agricultural and industrial bases.

Domestic tourism attracts more than 520,000 visitors annually and accounts for 90 per cent of all visits here, reflecting the region’s strong appeal to Australian travellers seeking authentic Queensland experiences beyond crowded tourist hotspots. This domestic market provides resilient economic foundations less vulnerable to international market fluctuations.
On average, overnight visitors stay for three nights, creating meaningful economic impact through accommodation, dining, activities, and shopping expenditure. The multi-day stays indicate visitors come for destination experiences rather than brief stopovers, suggesting strong attraction appeal.

Fifty-six per cent of visitors are here for holiday purposes, demonstrating the region’s success as a leisure destination rather than merely a business or visiting friends and relatives market. This holiday focus indicates discretionary spending potential and visitor satisfaction that generates repeat visitation and word-of-mouth marketing.

International markets account for 51,000 visitors, providing valuable economic diversification and global market exposure. Whilst smaller than domestic visitation, international visitors often stay longer and spend more per day, contributing disproportionately to economic impact.

Growth in our overnight stays is outperforming the Queensland average with around 210,000 overnight stays annually, indicating the region is capturing increasing market share within competitive Queensland tourism. This above-average growth demonstrates successful marketing, product development, and visitor satisfaction driving both first-time visitation and repeat visits.

International visitors stay for an average of 3.5 nights—longer than domestic visitors—and seventy-four per cent of all international visits are for holiday purposes. This high holiday percentage indicates strong international destination appeal rather than visiting friends and relatives or business travel.

We attract 759,541 day-trippers each year, providing significant additional economic impact through dining, shopping, fuel, and activity expenditure. Whilst day visitors spend less individually than overnight guests, the volume creates substantial aggregate economic contribution.

More information available here

Last updated December 2025.