They often clog up footpaths taking selfies and drive their rental cars below the speed limit, but as frustrating as tourists can be, they're the lifeblood of Australia's Glitter Strip.
Alongside construction, tourism continues to be the main economic driver of the Gold Coast, which is celebrating 60 years since its name changed from South Coast.
Be they Brisbane residents driving down the M1 or planeloads of people from China, tourists consistently delivered a return on investment, according to Annaliese Battista, the chief executive of Destination Gold Coast.
"In 2018, a total of 12.6 million visitors flocked to Australia's favourite playground, injecting $5.7 billion into the city's bottom line," she said.
Graphic showing breakdown of tourism employment on the Gold Coast.
INFOGRAPHIC: The breakdown of tourism employment on the Gold Coast. (Supplied: Tourism & Events Queensland)
Local resident Mark Weblin used the Curious project to ask ABC Gold Coast how many people were employed in the area's tourism and hospitality industries.
"Tourism is the engine room of our economy, supporting some 42,000 jobs or 14 per cent employment on the Gold Coast," Ms Battista said.
"More specifically, there are 4,500 employing businesses in the Gold Coast tourism industry, so there is no doubt the sector is a significant employer."
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-07/tourism-provides-backbone-to-gold-coast-economy/11351372
