Queensland is the tourism capital of Australia with visitors to the Sunshine State fuelling a boost to the state’s tourism operators.

New data from the Tourism Research Centre showed the state welcomed 20.8 million visitors from March 2021-2022, spending around $17.8 billion, more than any other state.

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe posted on Facebook that Queensland’s tourism was “roaring back to life”.

“Tourists are spending big in Queensland with a 19.2 per cent increase from the March Quarter in 2019, proving Tourism is well and truly booming in the Sunshine State!”

There were record spends in QLD’s tourism destinations:

• Tropical North Queensland $3 billion spent
• Sunshine Coast $2.9 billion spent
• Whitsundays $1.1 billion spent

On the Gold Coast, operators are back to 95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.