Cairns Tourism Statistics

Tourists spent A$4.26 billion in Cairns in the year ending December 2024.

• Domestic visitors contributed about A$3.28 billion, which was approximately 13% lower than the domestic spend of A$3.75 billion in 2023.
• International visitors spent around A$980 million in 2024, which was about 5% lower than the pre-pandemic peak of A$1.03 billion in 2019.

Who visited Cairns in 2023?

The largest international market for Cairns, based on previous patterns, was likely Japan, followed by the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Germany.

• While exact numbers were not reported for international visitor nights, these countries traditionally represent significant proportions of Cairns’ international market.

How much did tourists spend in Cairns in 2023?

For the year ending June 2023, tourists in Cairns generated a total of $1.364 billion in output/total sales.

This spending is attributed to a combination of domestic and international visitors, with the following key details:

• $640 million in gross value added, representing 6.5% of the total industry value in the region.
• The tourism industry in Cairns supported 6,777 local jobs, which accounted for 7.7% of the total local employment.
• The economic impact included an additional $1.167 billion in indirect effects, bringing the total value added to $1.807 billion.

• A travel ban implemented by the Australian government on the 1st of February 2020 for non-citizens travelling from or through China is expected to cause significant disruption for Chinese visitors to Cairns

Quotes and Media Statements

“There have been more than $10 million in direct bookings in the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region cancelled to date as a result of the coronavirus. (…) Tourism Tropical North Queensland members have seen more than 25,000 direct cancellations of experiences and accommodation.” Mark Olsen, Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO, 3 February 2020²

Read more on the impact of the coronavirus travel ban.

• Tourists spent a total of $2.4 billion in Cairns in 2019.
• Visitors spent an average of $787 per trip.
• This equated to an average spend of $232 per night.
• International tourists spent an average of $188 per night.

• The number of camping trips throughout Queensland has grown by 45.8% over the 10-year period from 2008 to 2018³.
• In 2018 over 1.3 million overnight camping trips were made in Queensland.
• Camping trips – including caravan, campervan, commercial and non-commercial camping – made up 13.9% of visitor nights for domestic travellers to Queensland in 2019 (year ending September).