MEDIA RELEASE

6 November 2025

Brisbane’s inner-city economy continues to flourish, with activity increasingly driven by support for the city’s arts and cultural offerings.

The Committee for Brisbane has today released its annual Inner City Vitality Report, revealing that while the commercial, residential and health sectors remain strong, the city’s passion for hospitality, events, shows and exhibitions is driving huge demand across non-traditional sectors.

Jen Williams, CEO of the Committee for Brisbane, said, “The inner-city is typically associated with office workers and retail stores, however the number of people visiting the South Brisbane cultural precinct and attending major events is phenomenal.

“As an example, over 425,000 people visited the Ekka in August, backed up by over 500,000 at Riverfire in September. The Queensland Museum welcomed almost 2.3 million visitors last financial year- a staggering figure, given this is just shy of the entire population of Greater Brisbane,” Ms Williams said.

“Hotels and dining establishments are seeing similar demand, with CBD hotels now commanding room rates of $274 a night- up an impressive 40 per cent in a single year (from $196 in 2024).

“International students are cementing their place as another important driver of inner-city activity. Comprising more than 20 per cent of the city’s residential population, each student contributes in the order of $55,000 per year to the broader economy, spread across retail spending, leisure and tuition fees. This is in addition to the education sector’s $1.3 billion inner-city economy.

“The 2025 report has also reinforced the benefits of public sector investment in the city’s green bridges and active transport networks. The CBD has recorded more than 13.5 million trips on e-scooters in the six years since their introduction, reinforcing the importance of micromobility to the city’s transport planning networks.

“While the number of people getting around by active transport or utilising the bus network continues to grow, patronage of the city’s rail network is now lower than it was in the years post-COVID.

“The State Government has invested heavily in 50 cent fares, however this is failing to translate into new public transport users. This reinforces the importance of major new infrastructure- like Cross River Rail and Metro- in building the reliability of the network, along with the need for further investment in ‘first and last mile’ connections that continue to create a barrier for many users.

“In all, this year’s Inner City Vitality Report shows the strength, diversity and momentum building in Brisbane’s inner-city. As we head towards 2032 and see major investments in new precincts come to fruition, the inner-city will play an increasingly important role as a connector of people, places and ideas for the entire state.”

ENDS

The following documents can be found via the links below.

• Brisbane Inner City Vitality Report 2025 (Snapshot by sector)
• Committee for Brisbane Inner City Vitality Report (Full report by precinct)

Precincts featured in the full report:

• CBD
• South Brisbane
• Kangaroo Point
• Woolloongabba
• Spring Hill
• Fortitude Valley
• Victoria Park Precinct

Sectors featured in the snapshot report:

• Office
• Retail
• Residential
• Tourism & Hospitality
• Arts & Culture
• Education
• Health

A comprehensive breakdown and analysis of the Inner City Vitality Report 2025 will be shared today at a lunch event at BCEC, featuring:

• Anthony Ryan- BEDA
• Tamanna Monem- QIMR Berghofer
• Rachel Healey- QPAC
• Amanda Newbery- Articulous
• Matthew Miller- Dexus
• Bronwyn Harch- Griffith University
• Sean Jacobs- Committee for Brisbane