South-East Queensland is set for a flurry of tourism activity in coming years, with year on year airport figures showing good growth. Passenger movements though Brisbane Airport in 2016-2017 increased by half-a-million more passengers than the previous financial year, with the international terminal seeing the majority of the growth, reports smh.com.au.

The Brisbane Airport logged 22.87 million passenger movements (up 1.8 per cent from 2016/2016), with 5.63 million being international, and 22.87 million domestic. The addition of the new runway in 2020 will be well needed, with 48.7 million passenger movements predicted for 2033-34.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind says the figures are encouraging with the rise of international tourism adding millions to the state’s economy. He added that Brisbane Airport is the major gateway to the state, and if it is doing well, this has a flow-on effect for the state.

The Gold Coast Airport is too expected to boom, with an increase of near 160 per cent in passenger activities predicted over the next 20 years. By 2037, the Gold Coast Airport will service about three quarters of that of Brisbane Airport’s turnover, with 16.6 million passengers per year.

These figures are set to soar in the coming years with major tourism drivers including Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the completion of the Queens Wharf development in 2022, to name just a few.