Cassowary Coast edges Cairns and Port Douglas as most popular holiday destination

The Cassowary Coast is set to become the Far North’s hottest destination for the Easter holidays according to a peak tourism body.

Tropical Tourism North Queensland General Manager Tara Bennett said the Cassowary Coast would be the most popular tourist destination throughout the school holidays, as holiday makers from Cairns and Townsville pass through the region.

The Cassowary Coast is a hot Far North destination for the Easter holidays, according to Tourism Tropical North Queensland.

General Manager Tara Bennett said the Cassowary Coast would be the most popular tourist destination throughout the school holidays, as holiday makers from Cairns and Townsville pass through the region.

“We are looking forward to some good visitation across the weekend.

“With the (increased) cost of living around Australia, we’re seeing most people starting to travel a bit closer to home,” Ms Bennett said.

“We hope if the weather holds, it will see more people starting to think about travelling in the coming days.”

Aerial shot of Mission Beach. Image: supplied

Ms Bennet said popular tourist destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest were ready for visitors to admire.

“The Great Barrier Reef continues to be a highly aspirational destination. It has the most incredible range of experiences. Now is the time to come and visit and really see how well we’ve bounced back from the weather instance at Christmas,” Ms Bennet said.

Ms Bennet said increased visitor numbers revealed positive interest from the domestic tourism market, which saw a boom in 2022, however visitor numbers had fallen slightly following the return of international flights and the aftermath of Cyclone Jasper.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland General Manager of Partnerships and Events Tara Bennett. Picture: Brendan Radke

“(The year 2022) delivered visitor numbers that we have never seen before and that was the pent up demand (for travel), post pandemic. Last year the numbers softened, and we saw a lot of Australians travelling overseas,” Ms Bennet said.

“Right now we have seen the aftermath of confidence in the (Far North) from the cyclone and flooding. It is softening numbers but at the same time we are seeing regard and forward bookings for the remainder of the year.”

Ms Bennet said occupancy rates, the number of rooms available in hotel accomodation, were expected to peak at 74 per cent for the Cassowary Coast, followed by Cairns at 56 per cent and Port Douglas at 52 per cent.

Last year, the figures stood at 92 per cent for Cassowary Coast followed by 88 per cent for Cairns and 92 per cent for Port Douglas.

Originally published as Cassowary Coast edges Cairns and Port Douglas as most popular holiday destination