The Brisbane 4X4 Outdoors Show delivered another opportunity for Drive Queensland to engage directly with a highly travel focused audience, with steady traffic across all three days and keen interest in regional Queensland travel experiences.
The event attracted a total of 24,482 attendees, compared with 25,926 in 2025, representing a slight 5% decrease year on year. Despite this, engagement levels at the Drive Queensland stand remained strong, particularly across peak periods.
A team of nine industry representatives supported the stand, allowing excellent coverage, maximum visitor engagement and valuable destination conversations throughout the event.
Saturday was the standout day, driving the highest traffic and engagement levels across the show.
Daily attendance was as follows:
• Friday: 3,486
• Saturday: 13,091
• Sunday: 7,905
Stand Performance and Visitor Engagement
The stand maintained a consistent flow of visitors, particularly during peak periods between 10am and 3pm on Friday and Saturday. Friday attracted a mixed demographic, predominantly aged 35+, with both couples and independent travellers seeking inspiration for upcoming trips later this year and into 2027. Saturday saw a noticeable increase in younger couples, families and brochure collectors, while Sunday attracted a mix of young families, caravanners and travellers looking for trip inspiration rather than fixed itineraries.
Visitors were highly engaged and conversations were generally destination led, with many attendees seeking current road condition advice, seasonal timing recommendations and practical travel planning information.
Key Travel Trends & Destination Interest
The strongest destination interest across all three days centred around:
Cape York
Outback Queensland
Dinosaur Trail
Savannah Way
Birdsville
North Queensland
Mount Isa Region
Short-drive destinations from Brisbane including Gympie, Moreton Bay and Toowoomba
Cape York remained one of the most requested destinations across the full event, consistently raised as a bucket-list drive experience. Outback Queensland also generated high enquiry levels, particularly around flooding impacts, road openings and travel timing later in the season. Inland travel planning for July through September was a recurring theme, indicating strong forward intent for dry season travel.
Visitor Questions & Emerging Themes
Several recurring themes emerged during visitor conversations:
Flood conditions in western Queensland and anticipated reopening timelines
Fuel prices and the impact on longer distance travel decisions
Demand for dog friendly travel options
Accessibility information for regional tourism products
Interest in short-break and weekend itineraries
Requests for eventbased travel suggestions
Fuel cost discussions were common, however most visitors remained committed to travel plans despite rising costs. Many attendees were seeking shorter trips closer to home, particularly newer Queensland residents wanting regional weekend getaway ideas.
Events Driving Interest
Event led travel continues to be a strong motivator. Frequent questions were received about:
Opera Queensland regional performances
Queensland Music Festival events
Rodeos and Regional Festivals
Big Red Bash status and updates
This reinforces the value of event integration within Drive Queensland collateral and visitor conversations.
Collateral Performance
Printed collateral performed well throughout the show. Particularly popular items included:
Drive Queensland Drive Guide
Tear-off maps
Regional brochures
Promotional bags
The promotional bags were a standout drawcard, attracting repeat visitors and helping increase brochure collection. The tear off maps were nearly exhausted by Day 2. Visitors also specifically requested the Drive Queensland guide, with one attendee noting they collect it every year and value the information highly.
A shelving refresh during Saturday improved brochure visibility and significantly increased stock movement, particularly by grouping brochures in a clearer regional sequence.
Stand Observations
A notable behavioural shift occurred when bag placement changed — moving bags further back encouraged more browsing, although fewer visitors immediately stopped at the front of stand. This suggests front-of-stand positioning remains important for initial attraction, while brochure layout supports deeper engagement.
Saturday also attracted many younger male attendees primarily focused on vehicle displays rather than travel planning, while older couples remained the strongest travel-conversation demographic.
Overall Outcome
The National 4X4 Outdoors Show Brisbane continues to be a highly valuable platform for Drive Queensland, particularly for:
Promoting long-drive and regional touring experiences
Driving awareness of lesser-known destinations
Supporting event-led travel planning
Understanding current traveller concerns and motivations
Queensland remains well positioned as a preferred self drive destination, with travellers actively seeking both iconic bucket list adventures and shorter accessible escapes.
Opportunities Identified for Future Shows
Include clearer accessibility information across partner collateral
Expand dog friendly travel messaging
Continue to focus on event integration in visitor conversations
Thank you for being part of the Drive Queensland team:
Kylie Rixon - Sunset Tourist Park/Drive Queensland Ambassador
Richard Kinnon - Outback Pioneers/Drive Queensland Ambassador
Nadine Lorenz - Mackay Isaac Tourism/Drive Queensland Ambassador
Bell Faber - Cook Shire Council
Ginnie Hope-Johnstone - Birdsville Races
Claire Felderhof - Flinders Shire Council
Lisy Plant - Diamantina Shire Council
Malcolm Oakley - GourMay Mary Valley Food Festival
Fiona Nicholl - Drive Queensland
The event attracted a total of 24,482 attendees, compared with 25,926 in 2025, representing a slight 5% decrease year on year. Despite this, engagement levels at the Drive Queensland stand remained strong, particularly across peak periods.
A team of nine industry representatives supported the stand, allowing excellent coverage, maximum visitor engagement and valuable destination conversations throughout the event.
Saturday was the standout day, driving the highest traffic and engagement levels across the show.
Daily attendance was as follows:
• Friday: 3,486
• Saturday: 13,091
• Sunday: 7,905
Stand Performance and Visitor Engagement
The stand maintained a consistent flow of visitors, particularly during peak periods between 10am and 3pm on Friday and Saturday. Friday attracted a mixed demographic, predominantly aged 35+, with both couples and independent travellers seeking inspiration for upcoming trips later this year and into 2027. Saturday saw a noticeable increase in younger couples, families and brochure collectors, while Sunday attracted a mix of young families, caravanners and travellers looking for trip inspiration rather than fixed itineraries.
Visitors were highly engaged and conversations were generally destination led, with many attendees seeking current road condition advice, seasonal timing recommendations and practical travel planning information.
Key Travel Trends & Destination Interest
The strongest destination interest across all three days centred around:
Cape York
Outback Queensland
Dinosaur Trail
Savannah Way
Birdsville
North Queensland
Mount Isa Region
Short-drive destinations from Brisbane including Gympie, Moreton Bay and Toowoomba
Cape York remained one of the most requested destinations across the full event, consistently raised as a bucket-list drive experience. Outback Queensland also generated high enquiry levels, particularly around flooding impacts, road openings and travel timing later in the season. Inland travel planning for July through September was a recurring theme, indicating strong forward intent for dry season travel.
Visitor Questions & Emerging Themes
Several recurring themes emerged during visitor conversations:
Flood conditions in western Queensland and anticipated reopening timelines
Fuel prices and the impact on longer distance travel decisions
Demand for dog friendly travel options
Accessibility information for regional tourism products
Interest in short-break and weekend itineraries
Requests for eventbased travel suggestions
Fuel cost discussions were common, however most visitors remained committed to travel plans despite rising costs. Many attendees were seeking shorter trips closer to home, particularly newer Queensland residents wanting regional weekend getaway ideas.
Events Driving Interest
Event led travel continues to be a strong motivator. Frequent questions were received about:
Opera Queensland regional performances
Queensland Music Festival events
Rodeos and Regional Festivals
Big Red Bash status and updates
This reinforces the value of event integration within Drive Queensland collateral and visitor conversations.
Collateral Performance
Printed collateral performed well throughout the show. Particularly popular items included:
Drive Queensland Drive Guide
Tear-off maps
Regional brochures
Promotional bags
The promotional bags were a standout drawcard, attracting repeat visitors and helping increase brochure collection. The tear off maps were nearly exhausted by Day 2. Visitors also specifically requested the Drive Queensland guide, with one attendee noting they collect it every year and value the information highly.
A shelving refresh during Saturday improved brochure visibility and significantly increased stock movement, particularly by grouping brochures in a clearer regional sequence.
Stand Observations
A notable behavioural shift occurred when bag placement changed — moving bags further back encouraged more browsing, although fewer visitors immediately stopped at the front of stand. This suggests front-of-stand positioning remains important for initial attraction, while brochure layout supports deeper engagement.
Saturday also attracted many younger male attendees primarily focused on vehicle displays rather than travel planning, while older couples remained the strongest travel-conversation demographic.
Overall Outcome
The National 4X4 Outdoors Show Brisbane continues to be a highly valuable platform for Drive Queensland, particularly for:
Promoting long-drive and regional touring experiences
Driving awareness of lesser-known destinations
Supporting event-led travel planning
Understanding current traveller concerns and motivations
Queensland remains well positioned as a preferred self drive destination, with travellers actively seeking both iconic bucket list adventures and shorter accessible escapes.
Opportunities Identified for Future Shows
Include clearer accessibility information across partner collateral
Expand dog friendly travel messaging
Continue to focus on event integration in visitor conversations
Thank you for being part of the Drive Queensland team:
Kylie Rixon - Sunset Tourist Park/Drive Queensland Ambassador
Richard Kinnon - Outback Pioneers/Drive Queensland Ambassador
Nadine Lorenz - Mackay Isaac Tourism/Drive Queensland Ambassador
Bell Faber - Cook Shire Council
Ginnie Hope-Johnstone - Birdsville Races
Claire Felderhof - Flinders Shire Council
Lisy Plant - Diamantina Shire Council
Malcolm Oakley - GourMay Mary Valley Food Festival
Fiona Nicholl - Drive Queensland
