Overseas tourists are flocking to the Riverina in greater numbers than ever before, Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke announced today.
Ms Cooke said the latest International Visitor Survey, released this month, demonstrates the NSW Government’s tourism and major events strategies were delivering for our region.
“The Riverina has achieved its highest number of overseas visitors on record,” she said.
“In the year to December 2017, there were 30,600 international visitors who spent a whopping $46.2 million dollars here. That’s an utterly staggering increase on spend of 76.2 per cent.
“I’m thrilled that so many tourists are experiencing the sights, tastes and sounds the Cootamundra electorate and wider region have to offer.”
The strong results were mirrored across the state. In the 12 months to December 2017, NSW welcomed 4.2 million international visitors who stayed 94.4 million nights and spent $10.4 billion, results which are miles ahead of both Queensland and Victoria.
“While NSW is absolutely smashing records in the tourism industry, we will won’t be complacent, I’m committed to boosting these numbers even further and continuing to break records for our State,” Minister for Tourism Adam Marshall said.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will continue to invest in our visitor economy and ensure that our State continues to lead Australia in international tourism,” he added.
Additional insights on the Riverina region:
- ‘Holiday’ and ‘Visiting Friends and Relatives’ were the primary drivers of growth in international visitor nights (significant increase of 56.2 per cent and 80.8 per cent, respectively).
- The Riverina is Regional NSW’s 9th top region for international visitors, 6th in visitor nights, and 7thin expenditure
