Qld tourism: Bumper Easter expected in wake of Cyclone Alfred

Easter is shaping as a feast or famine for the Sunshine State’s battered tourism industry, depending which region you look at.

Easter is shaping as a feast or famine for the Sunshine State’s battered tourism industry, with the southeast set for an incredible resurrection while floods lay siege to the Outback.

Just weeks after Cyclone Alfred caused millions of dollars’ worth of hotel cancellations and sparked fears of an Easter holiday wipe-out, new figures from hotel giant Accor and leading booking platform Expedia show eastern Queensland is poised to post stronger results than last year over the coming weeks.

However, it’s a different story in the Outback, where widespread flooding is causing mass cancellations – though operators are imploring holidaymakers to monitor the situation in their destination, which may be hundreds of kilometres from floodwaters.

The contrasting fortunes emerge just weeks after the Queensland government and regional tourism organisations launched a co-ordinated $6m blitz promoting the state as open for business, in a bid to kickstart the tourism recovery.

The clean-up continues on the Gold Coast in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Queensland Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said the state government had funded national and intrastate campaigns to let people know Queensland tourism operators were waiting with open arms this school holiday period.

“We want families from around Queensland, and visitors from interstate and overseas, to come and see everything we have to offer,” he said.

Data from Accor hotels shows Queensland bookings are 30 per cent stronger than last Easter for the looming long weekend, with Cairns leading the way with a 63 per cent increase in Easter bookings.

The broader Tropical North Queensland region was 43 per cent ahead of last year, and the Gold Coast, where many of the city’s signature beaches were obliterated by Cyclone Alfred, has seen a 32 per cent increase on last year.

It’s a similar story according to Expedia’s Wotif brand, with the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns the three most popular destinations for April holiday searches.

The rest of the top 10 were made up of interstate destinations.

The Outback town of Thargomindah has been hit by flooding. Picture: Daniel Roy

In Alfred’s aftermath, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate famously offered to shout anyone a beer if they came to the Glitter Strip for Easter and at least 80 per cent of the city’s beaches weren’t open.

Mayor Tate’s money appears safe, despite rough seas and king tides causing fresh erosion damage this week.

However, those scenes contrast wildly with those in the bush, where some operators are already reporting cancellations stretching until August – right through the busiest time of the outback tourism calendar.

Outback Queensland Tourism Association CEO Denise Brown said it was a concerning time for the region, even areas not caught up in the flooding emergency.

“The losses are enormous right across the outback – even those areas which aren’t flooded or weather affected,” she said.

Winton’s 150th birthday celebrations will go ahead as planned next weekend while the sold-out Easter in the Country festival at Roma is also set to avoid a wipeout.

Originally published as Qld tourism: Bumper Easter expected in wake of Cyclone Alfred