I was pleased to see the Government cut funding to Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) in the State Budget earlier this week (Tourism and Events Queensland budget slashed by $4.9m), because I’ve always doubted the value of its promotion activities, which have clearly failed in recent years. As I’ve posted on before (Qld’s falling share of international tourism in Australia), Queensland has lost a significant share of short-term visitors from overseas, many of whom would be tourists, to Victoria. And the most recent data from the ABS, released earlier this week, show no sign of a turnaround (see chart below).

Hopefully the funding cut to TEQ forces it to think of smarter and more innovative promotion campaigns, along the lines of what Victoria has been doing (see Qld should look to Victoria for tips on tourism promotion). More broadly, we should consider whether the $100 million spent on TEQ could be better spent on projects designed to improve the attractiveness of Queensland as a destination. There is no shortage of eyesores in Brisbane – for example, Roma St near the Transit Centre – which could do with some sprucing up. Let’s hope the QCA gives tourism and events funding a rigorous going over in its current review of industry assistance.

Hat tip to Mark Beath from Loose Change for alerting me to the latest overseas arrivals and departures data in his post: Overseas arrivals and departures.