A program of investment and business growth initiatives pumped more than $1 billion into the Brisbane economy over the past 12 months.
Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) CEO Anthony Ryan said the organisation had delivered its biggest year ever, driving a record $1.4 billion in economic activity for the city in 2024–25.
Mr Ryan said this set a new benchmark for Brisbane’s growth and ambition and included investment attraction and business growth programs surpassing $1 billion.
He said Brisbane’s calendar of events, conferences and strategic global marketing also injected hundreds of millions into the visitor economy which hit record highs for visitors (9.4m), visitor nights (53.7m) and visitor spending ($11.3b).
“Our impact is the result of incredible collaboration across city leaders, businesses and industry.
“The roll out of our State of the City Report delivered dividends by galvanising investors, government and industry around a shared strategy and message to unlock Brisbane’s $275 billion future.
“This year we’ve seen local businesses scale globally, international investors choose Brisbane, and our visitor economy smash records – all through collaboration and ambition.”
Mr Ryan said key achievements in 2024-25 included:
- Supporting hundreds of major events including Bluey’s World, NRL Magic Round and the once-in-18-years Australian Tourism Exchange, which saw thousands of global travel media, buyers and industry leaders hosted in the city.
- BEDA’s Global MedTech Accelerator and Future Food Initiative, which supported Brisbane companies to generate over $650 million in economic activity.
- BEDA-backed initiatives and events which supported more than 11,700 local jobs and created more than 600 new positions for the city’s fast-growing workforce.
- The agency’s Brisbane Favours the Bold campaign, which delivered more than $80 million in economic activity, reached 30 million people, and helped drive a 37 percent surge across Visit Brisbane social channels.
- Supporting vital recovery efforts after Cyclone Alfred to restore visitation and help businesses recover from disruptions that cost them more than $68 million.
- Delivering 182 capability building workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions for local businesses at the Brisbane Business Hub.
