MR STEVENS ASKED THE MINISTER FOR TOURISM AND FAIR TRADING (MR LAWLOR) —
QUESTION:
With reference to the Minister’s statement in April 2009 that the Shadow Minister was incorrect with his figure of $15b for the worth of the tourism industry in Queensland and that it was $19b, and as the 2012 Tourism Action Plan states the industry is worth $9.2b—
Will he explain where the $10b has gone under his leadership?
ANSWER:
There is no discrepancy between these statements. Rather, these figures represent two different ways of measuring the worth of the tourism industry to Queensland – as direct expenditure or economic contribution.
Expenditure refers to how much a visitor spends on their trip, including airfare and package costs. As per my answer for Question on Notice No. 389, in the year ending December 2008, international and domestic tourists spent $19.6 billion in Queensland.
Economic contribution is a measure of the value that visitor expenditure adds to the destination’s economy by selling tourism products and services, less the cost to produce those products or services. The Tourism Action Plan to 2012 correctly states that tourism contributed $9.2 billion to the Queensland economy for the year ended June 2008.
