TTF reveals Queensland’s top ten tourism electorates

Cairns has topped the list as the Queensland electorate with the most people employed in tourism, the Tourism & Transport Forum Australia (TTF) has today revealed.

TTF CEO Margy Osmond said the new Queensland Tourism Employment Atlas provides a comprehensive breakdown of the number of jobs directly supported by the tourism industry across Queensland’s 89 State Electorates.

The Atlas found that three out of the top five electorates with the most number of jobs directly supported by the tourism industry are in Far North Queensland (Cairns, Barron River and Cook), highlighting the economic importance of the region as tourism rises to become the next key pillar of the Queensland economy.

“The Employment Atlas shows just how critical the tourism sector is as a source of employment right across Queensland, and particularly across Far North Queensland” Ms Osmond said.

“These figures show the true extent to which tourism has become one of the biggest industries for employment in Queensland, and one of the most important as the state continues to adjust from the current mining downturn.

“From the Gold Coast up to Cape York, more than 135,000 Queenslanders are employed in tourism, with the electorate of Cairns topping the list with a staggering 13.4 per cent of all local jobs within the sector.

“With 12.5 per cent of all local jobs in tourism, Surfers Paradise is second on the list while Barron River rounds out the top three with 11.5 per cent.”

Ms Osmond said with the Queensland State Election campaign coming to a rapid close, the Employment Atlas is an extremely timely reminder that the next Queensland Government cannot afford to take the tourism sector for granted.

“With dozens of marginal electorates and tens of thousands of livelihoods up and down the coast of Queensland dependent on the tourism industry, major parties that underestimate the sector do so at their own risk,” Ms Osmond said.

“Tourism employs far more people than mining and manufacturing, yet it receives nowhere near the level of focus and commitment from our politicians. This needs to change, starting with the next Queensland Government.”

Top 10 Queensland Electorates for Tourism Jobs
Electorate              Percentage of total employment
1. Cairns                                                       13.4
2. Surfers Paradise                                    12.5
3. Barron River                                          11.5
4. Southport                                               10.6
5. Cook                                                       10.4
6. Mermaid Beach                                    10.3
7. Noosa                                                      10.1
8. Whitsunday                                             9.7
9. Broadwater                                              9.1
10. Burleigh                                                 9.0