Queensland, Australia, is a popular tourist destination known for its beaches and exotic flora and fauna; however, travel also carries injury risk. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of ambulance-attended adult tourist injuries among domestic and international visitors to inform travel safety strategies.
Data were extracted from Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) records for injury-related cases involving non-Queensland residents aged ≥15 years attended between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2018. Ambulance pick-up location coordinates were used as a proxy for injury location. Geospatial analysis was conducted, and 2 tests examined differences between visitor groups by age, sex and injury characteristics. Age-standardised rates were calculated annually using population data from Tourism Research Australia’s national and international visitor surveys.
There were 27 687 visitor injuries aged ≥15 years attended by QAS, with males accounting for 52.5% of cases. Injury-related ambulance attendance rates were similar for domestic (IR=32.3 per 100 000 per annum; n=21 685) and international visitors (IR=29.5 per 100 000 per annum; n=6002). The highest injury rates occurred among young males aged 15–24 years and older females aged ≥65 years. Falls and transport incidents were the leading injury mechanisms among both visitor groups.
Findings suggest differences according to age, sex and visitor type, with young males and older females representing higher risk groups. These results highlight the need for targeted prevention strategies and further investigation into the circumstances surrounding tourist injuries.
Understanding the burden and characteristics of tourist injuries is crucial to informing health service provision, targeted travel health advice and injury prevention strategies.