Hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games has proved a successful move for the Gold Coast, with positive numbers revealed in the latest domestic tourism results.

The region welcomed 897,000 domestic overnight visitors between April to June this year, an 11 per cent year-on-year increase. Visitation accounted for 3.2 million nights, representing a 16 per cent increase.

For the full financial year ending 30 June, the city recorded a 3.9 per cent increase in overall spend, injecting $3.1 billion into the economy.

However, total domestic overnight visitation dipped by 1.2 per cent to 3.5 million visitors, due to a drop off in the Brisbane market.

Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista says strong visitation during the Commonwealth Games helped to off-set soft numbers prior to April.

“We anticipated a large proportion of the April to June figures would be attributed to Games patronage, which reflects the 11 per cent spike in visitation during the quarter,” she says.

In more good news for the Gold Coast, it was recently named a World Festival and Event City by the International Festival and Events Association.

Gold Coats Deputy Mayor Donna Gates says the accolade cements the city’s capability of hosting world class events.

“The 2018 Commonwealth Games were proof the coast has what it takes to be a world-class events city,” she says.

“We successfully staged GC2018, the largest sporting event this decade in the southern hemisphere, with more than $200 million invested into new and upgraded major venues.

“We already boast key events such as Gold Coast Marathon, Vodafone Gold Coast 600, the Roxy and Quiksilver Pro surf titles and Magic Millions Racing Carnival to name a few.”