tourism are key industries in many parts of Australia, but it has not been well represented in economic profiles in the past due to the difficulty in defining it.
The tourism industries are defined by the ABS not as regular industries but as a set of occupation categories working across a number of industries.
This page presents some key statistics for tourism workers in Cairns with comparisons to benchmark areas. tourism data should be viewed in conjunction with the Industry sector analysis page for the accomodation sector, which has modelled estimates of the size of the industry on an annual basis. The Employment locations page will show where accommodation activity is taking place and the Local workers section will reveal the characteristics of accommodation workers.
Please note: Due to a change in the occupation classification, tourism occupation data are currently only available from the 2021 Census.
Data source
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2021 – by place of work
Current benchmark:
- Key Statistics
- Occupations
| Value of tourism | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns | 2021 | |||
| Measure | Cairns | % of total industry | Regional QLD% | % of total industry in Cairns |
| Tourism workforce | ||||
| Total workers | 7,731 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 10.4 |
| Males | 3,484 | 45.1 | 39.5 | 9.9 |
| Females | 4,250 | 55.0 | 60.5 | 10.9 |
| Age structure | ||||
| 15 to 24 years | 1,882 | 24.3 | 32.7 | 17.6 |
| 25 to 44 years | 3,429 | 44.4 | 37.7 | 11.1 |
| 45 to 54 Years | 1,332 | 17.2 | 14.5 | 8.0 |
| 55 to 64 Years | 836 | 10.8 | 11.5 | 6.7 |
| 65 years and over | 249 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 6.5 |
| Hours worked | ||||
| Worked full-time | 3,079 | 39.8 | 34.4 | 7.1 |
| Worked part-time | 4,124 | 53.3 | 51.0 | 15.6 |
| Away from work | 530 | 6.9 | 14.6 | 11.3 |
| Qualifications | ||||
| Bachelor or higher degree | 1,230 | 15.9 | 13.2 | 6.2 |
| Advanced diploma or diploma | 1,031 | 13.3 | 11.3 | 11.1 |
| Certificate level | 1,956 | 25.3 | 25.9 | 9.4 |
| No qualifications | 3,320 | 42.9 | 47.2 | 14.8 |
| Level of education inadequately described | 34 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 8.0 |
| Level of education not stated | 161 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 11.7 |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Australian-born | 4,158 | 53.8 | 66.8 | 7.8 |
| Born overseas | 3,571 | 46.2 | 33.2 | 17.2 |
| Speaks a language other than English | 2,420 | 31.3 | 20.4 | 21.3 |
| Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander | 405 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 8.4 |
| Individual income | ||||
| Less than $500 | 1,812 | 23.4 | 29.9 | 18.8 |
| $500 -$2,000 | 5,466 | 70.7 | 65.0 | 11.2 |
| $2,000 or more | 402 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 2.6 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions). Please refer to specific data notes for more information | ||||