Sunshine Coast Tourism Statistics 2024

Page last updated: 08 May 2025

The Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, with its beaches, hinterlands and relaxed atmosphere, attracts millions of visitors annually and contributes significantly to the region’s tourism economy. This includes the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie Local Government Areas.

Table of Contents

How many people visit the Sunshine Coast each year?

The Sunshine Coast accommodates over 4 million overnight visitors annually, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period.

The Sunshine Coast recorded 4.38 million overnight visitors in 2019.

Due to the pandemic, it dropped to 3.09 million in 2020 and slightly increased to 3.52 million in 2021.

In 2022, total visitation increased to near pre-pandemic levels of 4.34 million.

The region hosted 4.5 million overnight visitors in 2023.

Visitors decreased by 3.6% (4.34 million) in 2024.

Who visits the Sunshine Coast?

In 2024, 92.8% of the total visitors were domestic, 69% of whom were intrastate visitors, and 23.8% were interstate visitors.

The remaining 7.2% were international visitors. New Zealand was the top origin of international visitors, followed by the UK, USA, Germany and the Netherlands. These top five markets accounted for 210,000 visitors.
- New Zealand: 84,000 visitors
- UK: 70,000 visitors
- USA: 23,000 visitors
- Germany: 22,000 visitors
- Netherlands: 11,000 visitors

How much do tourists spend on the Sunshine Coast?

Visitors spent over AU$ 4 billion in the Sunshine Coast in recent years.

Visitors spent AU$ 3 billion in 2019 before the pandemic.

Tourism spending dropped to AU$ 2 billion in 2020 during the pandemic, a 33.3% decline from 2019.

Spending increased to AU$ 2.7 billion in 2021 as recovery began.

Domestic overnight visitor spending reached AU$ 4.3 billion in 2022. However, no data on international visitor spending for 2022 is available.

In 2023, visitors spent AU$ 4.3 billion, which remained constant at AU$ 4.3 billion in 2024.

Note: 2022 data represents domestic visitor spending only, as data of international visitor spending are not available

Who spent the most on the Sunshine Coast?

Because there are more domestic overnight visitors, they spend more than international overnight visitors. However, international visitors often spend more per person per night.

In 2024, domestic overnight visitors spent AU$ 4 billion, while international overnight visitors spent AU$ 317.8 million.

What are the top attractions of the Sunshine Coast?

Noosa National Park is Australia’s most visited national park, with over 1 million visitors annually.

Despite operating only two days per week, Eumundi Markets draws approximately 1.6 million visitors yearly.

Australia Zoo attracts an estimated 600,000-700,000 visitors annually, though current official figures are difficult to verify.

The hinterland towns of Montville and Maleny are major draws. They are known for their boutique accommodation, which regularly ranks among the top 1% globally in TripAdvisor awards.

Award-winning beaches, including Mooloolaba Beach, ranked #4 in Australia in 2019 and Noosa Main Beach, ranked #7, remain central to the region’s tourism appeal.

Sunshine Coast Travel Resources

How long do people stay on the Sunshine Coast?

International visitors stay longer on the Sunshine Coast than domestic visitors.

In 2024, international visitors spent 12.5 nights in Sunshine Coast, while interstate visitors stayed 5.2 nights and intrastate visitors stayed 2.7 nights.

Why do people visit the Sunshine Coast?

Most of the tourists visit the Sunshine Coast for their holiday travel.

In 2024, more than half of the tourists (54.7%) visited the Sunshine Coast for their holiday travel, while nearly one-third (34.2%) visited to meet their friends and relatives.

How many tourists visited the Sunshine Coast in 2024?

In 2024, the Sunshine Coast accommodated approximately 4.34 million visitors, a 3.6% decrease from the previous year and almost at the same level as 2019.

This total included about 4.03 million domestic and 314,000 international overnight visitors.

How much did tourists spend on the Sunshine Coast in 2024?

In 2024, visitors to the Sunshine Coast spent AU$ 4.3 billion. The figure remained stable compared to the previous year, but was 43.3% above the pre-pandemic year 2019.

Domestic visitors spent AU$4 billion while international visitors spent only AU$ 317.8 million.

How many tourists visited the Sunshine Coast in 2023?

In 2023, the Sunshine Coast had 4.5 million overnight visitors, with 4.19 million domestic and 308,000 international.

The figure increased by 2.7% from the pre-pandemic level in 2019.

How much did tourists spend on the Sunshine Coast in 2023?

In 2023, visitors spent approximately AU$4.3 billion, AU$4 billion of which was from domestic overnight visitors and AU$365.3 million from international overnight visitors.

This represented a 43.3% growth from the pre-pandemic year 2019.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunshine Coast Tourism (2020-21)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visitors to the Sunshine Coast dropped below 4 million, and the visitors’ spending went below AU$3 billion.

The region recorded 3.09 million visitors in 2020, a 29.5% drop from 2019, and 3.52 million in 2021, a 19.6% drop from 2019.

Spending dropped from AU$3 billion in 2019 to AU$2 billion in 2020 and AU$2.7 billion in 2021.

Sunshine Coast Inbound Tourism Statistics in 2019

In 2019, the Sunshine Coast had 4.38 million visitors, made up of 4.05 million domestic and 330,000 international overnight visitors.

Total visitor spending was AU$3 billion, including AU$2.7 billion from domestic and AU$282.6 million from international overnight visitors.

Statistics by Attraction

References

TEQ: Sunshine Coast tourism data.

TW: Domestic and International tourism snapshots.

LP: The main attractions of the Sunshine Coast.