Broome Tourism Statistics (updated 2025)

Page last updated: 08 May 2025

Broome is a tropical coastal town in Western Australia famous for its Cable Beach and pearling history. It’s also a popular starting point for travel to the Kimberley region.

Table of Contents

How many tourists visit Broome each year?

The Shire of Broome received 238,000 overnight visitors in 2024, down from previous years.

302,000 in 2019 was the pre-pandemic benchmark for the region.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw visitor numbers drop to 150,000 in 2020 as travel restrictions kicked in.

A strong recovery occurred in 2022 with 325,000 visitors, exceeding pre-pandemic levels due to pent-up demand.

Visitor numbers moderated to 276,000 in 2023 before dropping to 238,000 in 2024.

How much did tourists spend in Broome in 2024?

Total overnight visitor spend in the Shire of Broome LGA reached $343 million in 2024, a 26% decrease from 2023, but still above pre-pandemic levels.

Visitors spent on average $1,441 per trip and $176 per day.

International visitors spent $1,917 per trip and $53 per day on average.

On the other hand, domestic visitors spent $1,388 per trip and $274 per day on average.

How long do tourists spend in Broome?

Travellers to Broome in 2024 stayed for about 8.2 nights on average, though this varies dramatically between visitor types.

International visitors stayed longer (36 nights on average)

Domestic visitors stayed 5.1 nights on average.

How many tourists visited Broome in 2023?

The Shire of Broome LGA recorded 276,000 overnight visitors in 2023. This was 15% lower than the 2022 peak but still a healthy level compared to the immediate pre-pandemic period.

Among total overnight visitors, 259,000 were domestic and 17,000 international visitors.

How much did tourists spend in Broome in 2023?

Total overnight visitor spend was $464 million in the Shire of Broome LGA in 2023.

The average spending per trip was $1,675, with a daily expenditure of $277.

International travellers spent an average of $1,611 per trip, averaging $67 per day due to longer stays.

Domestic visitors spent more per trip at $1,680, yet had a much higher daily average of $350.

How many tourists visited Broome in 2022?

Visitor numbers reached around 325,000 in 2022, reflecting a strong post-pandemic tourism recovery. The number of visitors surpassed the pre-pandemic high of 302,000 visitors in 2019.

Broome Travel Resources

Impact of COVID-19: Tourism Statistics 2020 & 2021

Broome saw around 150,000 visitors in 2020. Of which, 147,000 visitors were domestic and only around 3,000 were international visitors.

The number of domestic visitors rose to 259,000 in 2021. International visitor data is not available for this year.

Broome Pre-pandemic Inbound Tourism Statistics

Broome welcomed 274,000 visitors on average in the period 2017-2019. Among them 55.4% were intrastate visitors, 32.1% were interstate visitors and the remaining 12.4% were international visitors.

Why do people visit Broome?

Holiday and Business were the top reasons to visit Broome in 2023 and 2024.

Holiday travel accounted for 47% of domestic visits and 75% of international visits to Broome in 2023 and 2024 (average of 2 years).

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) represented 8% of domestic and 6% of international visits.

Business travel was the reason for 39% domestic and 4% international trips.

Where do visitors stay in Broome?

Most domestic travellers book into hotels or resorts, while international visitors prefer renting private accommodations during their Broome holiday.

Accommodation Types for Visitor to Broome

Accommodation Type	Domestic Visitors (% of nights)	International Visitors (% of nights)
Hotel/resort/motel or motor Inn	45%	9%
Caravan park or commercial camping ground	7%	3%
Friends or relatives property	14%	n/a
Rented house/apartment/flat or unit	n/a	67%
Other Private Accommodation	n/a	10%

Note: Data combined from 2023 and 2024.

Statistics by Attraction

References

LGA: Broome Overnight visitor data.

WA: Broome Overnight visitor data 2017/18/19.