This paper focuses on how public shared e-scooters are used by tourists and the impact this might have on their tourist expenditures. A survey was designed to link responses with e-scooter trips, targeting tourists who visited the city of Townsville in northern Queensland, Australia, between December 2020 and February 2021. 140 visitor samples were considered effective. In addition, 80 local residents’ e-scooter usage tracks were obtained for comparison of the spatiotemporal use pattern. The usage patterns of visitors and local residents’ differed by their time and location of travel. The visitor survey data indicates e-scooters assisted with tourist dispersal, encouraged tourist spending, replaced some car and ridehailing trips (27.14%), and a sizable amount of walking trips (60.71%) but negligible public transport substitution (2.14%) as the city has limited public transport services. For visitors, heavy users (top third by distance travelled) spent 41% more per day compared to those who were the light users (bottom third). Users with high spending categories were restaurant dining, entertainment, and nightlife. This paper sets the directions for further e-scooter or bike share scheme research in regional or metropolitan areas in Australia. Future tourism spending research should incorporate more transport offerings and mobility-as-a-service opportunities.