Brisbane continues to break tourism records with the city receiving an all-time high influx of Australian business visitors.

The latest National Visitor Survey from Tourism Australia revealed domestic business visitors climbed a massive 27.5 per cent to a record 1.4 million in the year ending June 2017.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the rise of business visitors reflected Brisbane’s growing reputation as a destination of choice for business, investment and major events.

“Our city is building a reputation as a competitive base for doing business, for high levels of business investment and innovation and the largest public infrastructure spending program in Australia’s history,” Cr Quirk said.

“We are being increasingly seen in Australia and further afield as a New World City that has a business-friendly approach, a great quality of life and residents who are resourceful, positive and future-focussed."

Marjor Projects in Brisbane include:

• North Shore Hamilton – $5 billion 
• Queens Wharf Integrated Resort Casino Project – $3 billion 
• Metro Transport System – $1.5 billion 
• Brisbane Airport Second Runway – $1.3 billion 
• Brisbane Quarter – $800 million 
• Howard Smith Wharves – $110 million 

Queens Wharf Integrated Resort Casino Project

Overall, the National Visitor Survey found the number of Australians visiting Brisbane reached an all-time high of 6.4 million, contributing to a record spend of $3.85 billion over the year.

The results follow the International Visitor Survey released earlier this month, which found overseas visitor numbers to Brisbane rose to a record 1.215 million and expenditure climbed to an all-time high of $2.16 billion in the year to June.

Tom Gibson, Vice President JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS, “Arrivals at Brisbane Airport are approximately 23 million annually, representing an increase of five million over the past 10 years. The new runway provides the capacity to double arrival numbers, and passenger volumes are expected to reach some 50 million by 2035.” 

This new runway is considered the largest current aviation project in Australia. “The scale of Brisbane Airport Corporation’s investment in new airport infrastructure is a clear demonstration of the confidence in Brisbane’s emergence as a new world city, and provides further impetus for transformational and city shaping projects such as Queens Wharf Brisbane, Cross River Rail, and Brisbane Live.” continued Mr. Gibson.

“Airport expansions are a barometer for the longer-term ambitions of a dynamic capital city. Not only does a new runway bring new flights to a market, it also provides a strong foundation for growth to the hotels sector as well as the commercial, logistics, retail, and residential property sectors.” Mr Gibson said.

The figures reflect a sharp increase in international passengers reported by Brisbane Airport in FY17, with the number of international passengers rising by seven percent to more than 5.6 million over FY16 - the greatest growth for the airport in a decade.

JLL Hotels & hospitality Group have recently been exclusively retained to offer for sale the Airport Hacienda Motel located within the heart of the airport-city corridor of Brisbane, with Expressions of Interest closing Thursday 19 October. Signifying the strength of this submarket, Mr Gibson stated that “it is opportunities such as the Airport Hacienda Motel that provide investors with the flexibility to take advantage of holding income, while strategising on future development opportunities that capitalise on the surrounding infrastructure and amenity investment”.

For photography and property particulars on the Airport Hacienda Motel click here to download an Information Memorandum.

To discuss the Brisbane Tourism market phone or email Tom Gibson from JLL.

See also:

$18 billion worth of infrastructure investments for Brisbane

Emporium Hotel Southpoint, the first EarthCheck Design project in Australia

AccorHotels expands in Asia Pacific with Sofitel Wellington, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour and Pullman Brisbane Airport