Qld top tourist destination in summer holiday comeback

After a difficult season of severe weather last summer, Queensland is back on top, with a massive spike in holiday-makers heading north to the sunshine state.

Brock, Natalie and Ronan Sinclair are visiting the Sunshine state from Sydney. Picture: John Gass

Tourism is on the comeback in Queensland after last year’s Boxing Day storm battering, with a quarter of holidaying Aussies heading to the Sunshine State these holidays.

More than half of Australians are holidaying this summer and a quarter of them are living it up in Queensland – more than any other state.

Tourism and Events Queensland says significantly more interstate travellers are being lured to Queensland this season than last, with 22 per cent intending to visit over the summer holiday compared to 13 per cent in 2023. Bookings for the busy period covering Christmas to New Year’s Eve are up on last year for Tropical North Queensland and the Whitsundays, along with the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, with occupancy rates ranging from 60-85 per cent.

David Brook, general manager of the Paradise Resort Gold Coast in Surfers Paradise, said the family hotel was experiencing an “absolutely bumper” festive season.

The Gold Coast has been a popular spot for holidays this summer.

“I’ve never seen the place as busy as it was on Christmas Day – it was manic, crazy,” he said. “We’re looking at occupancy levels in the mid 90s (per cent) through December and January.

“We’re getting a lot of Victorian and NSW visitors and spending is up. People are happy, the weather’s been fantastic so for us, it’s awesome.”

Rachel Hancock, Experience Gold Coast’s head of visitor economy and corporate relations, said tourism was booming after being smashed by bad weather last Christmas.

“This time last year was a pretty devastating period for the Gold Coast so it’s wonderful to see the weather really turning it on this Christmas and some really strong bookings,” she said.

“Forward bookings are up about 4 per cent for January, which is a really positive turnaround. If the good weather continues, we’re likely to see excellent traveller traffic from our drive market of Brisbane and northern NSW.”

Ms Hancock said new multimillion dollar precincts unveiled by both Dreamworld and Movie World were helping tourism, along with events such as next month’s The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Dreamworld is top attraction for families in Queensland. Picture: Nigel Hallett

A Gold Coast Airport spokeswoman said more than 1.2 million passengers were expected to pass through in December and January, up 6.2 per cent on last year.

“On the busiest days, including this Friday, we are anticipating more than 22,000 passengers through the terminal,” she said. “Flights are going to be very full – up to more than 90 per cent of capacity – which is much higher than the national average.”

Queensland’s tourism industry is set to receive an extra boost with a Boxing Day sale launched by Virgin Australia offering cut-price deals.

Brisbane Airport spokesman Peter Doherty said the domestic terminal was “humming” with about 70,000 passengers a day, while the international terminal was busy as tennis stars, fans and officials jetted in for the Brisbane International, which starts on Friday.

“Visitors are also arriving for their first taste of Bluey’s World and Queen’s Wharf,” he said.

“We know when Brisbane Airport is busy, Queensland tourism is busy. We expect this pace to continue right up until after Australia Day.”