The leading decision makers in world sport will arrive in Queensland over the next week as the Gold Coast prepares to host the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit 2019 next week.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told Parliament that hosting nearly 2000 delegates would pump more than $6 million into the economy during the five-day conference, which will see major international sporting federations negotiating about where to host their upcoming events.
“We invest in major events because they pump millions back into our economy and create tourism jobs,” she said.
“Not only will SportAccord bring thousands of visitors to the Coast – boosting the local tourism industry – it’s also a great platform to showcase Queensland and negotiate for more events.
“This is a great legacy of the Commonwealth Games and an important part of our strategy to capitalise on Queensland’s role as host of the biggest event in 2018.
“We invested more than $1.5 billion in new tourism and transport infrastructure ahead of the Commonwealth Games. We’re working hard to ensure these new venues remain booked out and deliver a strong return for local tourism operators.”
SportAccord will be held in the Sunshine State for the first time this month after Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones last year led a trade delegation to the 2018 SportAccord conference in Bangkok where she secured more than $60 million worth of events for Queensland.
“Now those same decision-makers are coming to the Gold Coast which gives us the opportunity to showcase Queensland’s state-of-the-art sporting facilities,” she said.
“Queensland has long been known as a world-class event host and destination and SportAccord 2019 allows us to enhance that reputation.”
SportAccord was secured for the Gold Coast through a partnership between Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia, Gold Coast City Council and Destination Gold Coast.
Ms Jones said the summit and future events would have an enduring impact on the city’s tourism economy.
“More than 10,000 visitor nights will be generated on the Gold Coast from SportAccord alone, with sporting leaders from 100 countries set to enjoy the very best of what Queensland has to offer,” she said.
“We know first-hand the power of events and the positive impact they have on the tourism economy.
“That’s why we’ve worked hard to grow the value of Queensland’s calendar of events – this year tipped to generate $800 million.
The SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit 2019 runs from May 5 – 10 on the Gold Coast.
