Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall foot traffic currently sits around 76 per cent of pre-covid levels.
Its highest point peaked in the week before Christmas 2021 at 89 per cent of pre-covid levels.
And its lowest point was Easter 2020 at just 17 per cent.
These statistics come from Brisbane City Council, which stated that both the pandemic and the recent floods are contributing factors, putting pressure on CBD retailers.
Speaking with Ragtrader, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said that while they aren’t hitting pre-pandemic levels, foot traffic is increasing.
“It’s promising to see more people returning to the CBD,” Schrinner said. “[It’s] not back to normal, but still better than the 33 per cent following the devastating February flood.
“We’re doing what we can with a jam-packed events calendar to entice people back to inner-city precincts.”
In May this year, Brisbane launched a month-long dining campaign DINE BNE, supporting 65 CBD bars and restaurants.
Then, in August, the city celebrated Queen Street Mall’s 40th birthday. This culminated in a street party on Friday, August 26, leading to the highest foot traffic of any Friday this year, according to Schrinner.
“Coming up in September we will host Shop BNE City which will work with shopping centres and hospitality venues to deliver exclusive retail offers, events and activations for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
According to the latest data from Tourism Research Australia, Brisbane’s tourism sector has seen a strong return, attracting Queensland’s highest number of domestic visitors in the year ending March 2022.
“Total visitor spending in Brisbane is up 34.7% from 2021 to $3.4 billion, and total visitors up 12.6% to 5.2 million,” Schrinner continued.
“Our major events calendar has attracted visitors from across the country and the world, delivering millions in economic benefit to the city, with many more exciting international events to come.”
This includes Nitro World Games, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Australian PGA Championship across October and November.
“Brisbane is an unparalleled destination for visitors, and the world is certainly taking notice.”