Initiatives to grow Brisbane’s visitor economy, secure major events and attract new investment delivered a record $2.3bn boost to Brisbane’s economy in 2025-26, and supported more than 18,000 local jobs.
The result was driven by Brisbane City Council’s Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA), the agency for growing the city’s visitor economy and securing major events and conventions.
The agency reported more than A$1.5bn was generated through investment attraction and business growth, including programmes like the MedTech Global Accelerator and Future Food Initiative that help local businesses reach global capital and new markets to grow.
Major events filled the city’s hotels, restaurants and stadiums, including the British & Irish Lions Tour, Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, NRL Magic Round (secured until 2032) and Bluey’s World (extended to 2028) contributed A$41m, while international conferences and incentive travel added a further $103m by bringing global delegates into the city.
Destination marketing and travel trade activity contributed more than $300m, drawing more domestic and international visitors and encouraging them to stay longer, which helped lift visitor spending to a record A$17.1bn across Brisbane.
Local businesses also gained new support through the launch of the Women in Business Champion Programme and expanded programmes at the Brisbane Business Hub. It is the third year in a row that this work has added more than A$1bn to the Brisbane economy, and the strongest result on record.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said: “Behind these numbers are real jobs for Brisbane locals, more customers walking through the doors of our small businesses and more visitors filling our hotels, cafes and restaurants.”
“This is why we are Australia’s lifestyle capital and every result like this builds a stronger, more prosperous Brisbane as we look towards 2032 and beyond,” he added.
BEDA chairman Paul Spiro said the agency’s strength was its ability to get the right people around the table and turn shared ambition into results.
“Brisbane works best when business, government and industry pull in the same direction,” he said.
