Queensland holiday deals: Promo codes offer big savings

Holiday-hungry Queenslanders are saving big bucks on local tourism experiences thanks to a new statewide promo codes campaign. Here are 15 of the best deals.

Queensland’s battered tourism industry is experiencing an extraordinary surge, with websites crashing and sales soaring in the biggest booking blitz in years.

After 18 months of heartbreak, the sun is finally shining on the industry as the stars align, with confirmation the state will have open borders by Christmas coinciding with the launch of a new tourism campaign offering $75 flights and up to 50 per cent discounts within the Sunshine State.

The Great Queensland Getaway, run by Tourism and Events Queensland and promoted by News Queensland mastheads, launched on Monday with more than $3 million in sales booked across the state in the first two days.

Queensland tourism operators are hopeful the tide is turning after an extraordinary surge in holiday bookings this week. Picture: Tourism Queensland

The long-awaited announcement on when the state plans to end hard border closures also generated huge traffic for tourism operators, with Wotif.com reporting a 200 per cent increase in web searches for Queensland.

Virgin Australia bookings increased by more than 130 per cent, fuelled by both the getaway campaign and the knowledge interstate residents will be allowed to holiday in Queensland by December 17.

Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Leanne Coddington encouraged Queenslanders to start exploring their state.

“There’s around 470 tourism businesses right across the state offering deals through this campaign, meaning Queenslanders can really get out and explore something they haven’t done before,” Ms Coddington said.

“There’s also airfares and bus passes to get you from one end of the state to the other, and holiday packages offering great value – so your holiday plans are easily sorted.

“This campaign will be on sale until next Sunday, October 31, unless it’s sold out sooner, so Queenslanders are encouraged to plan and book their next holiday quickly.

“It’s a great opportunity to take a break now or during the festive season, right through until school holidays end in January.”

Get Wet Surf School instructor Samantha Jekyll with student Thomas Barry at The Spit on the Gold Coast. Picture: Nigel Hallett

The Gold Coast has been one of the big winners in the bookings rush.

Get Wet Surf School has been hard hit by the pandemic, but operator Kerri Jekyll said it was nice to see a spike in bookings from the campaign.

“The phones are ringing and that’s great because every little bit helps,” she said.

“We’ve been virtually hibernating for 6-8 months and now we’ve got a nice little boost ahead of what will hopefully be a bumper summer.”

The campaign runs until October 31 or until sold out.