Queensland tourism operators expecting bumper holiday season

Queensland tourism operators have been gifted an early Christmas present as a theme park giant finally opens a spectacular new attraction. SEE THE VIDEO

The Leviathan wooden coaster has opened at Sea World’s $50 million New Atlantis precinct. Carrie Middleton, 10 from England and Hannah Franklin, 11 from Sydney had front-row seats. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

It’s Queensland tourism’s Christmas miracle.

After two years ravaged by coronavirus outbreaks, lockdowns and border closures, parts of the Sunshine State are expecting to smash even pre-pandemic numbers this holiday season.

Some regions are already reporting holiday booking numbers up to 98 per cent of 2019 figures ahead of an expected late rush in the weeks ahead which could deliver record-breaking visitation.

The optimism is fuelled by increased travel freedoms and the arrival of new tourism products including a spectacular $50 million New Atlantis zone at Sea World on the Gold Coast featuring rides combining state-of-the-art technology with a nostalgic wooden rollercoaster called The Leviathan.

Welcoming the first guests to the new precinct on Friday, Village Roadshows theme parks chief operating officer Bikash Randhawa said they were expecting “a cracker of a summer”.

It comes after rival Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld last week announced plans for a $50 million expansion of their own as the tourism industry leaves Covid-19 for dust.

Destination Gold Coast chairwoman Adrienne Readings said the tourism industry was rebounding “with a vengeance”.

“As we edge into December with the peak holiday period in our sights, we know that this is the summer our tourism industry has long awaited for, being the first time in two years that we are open to the world,” she said.

“With just four weeks to go, we are already seeing strong demand for the Christmas and new year period, sitting at over 75 per cent occupancy (on average)... so it is pleasing to see Gold Coast tourism rebound with a vengeance.”

Gold Coast Airport is also operating two of the five busiest routes in the country (Sydney fourth and Melbourne fifth).

Further north, the Whitsundays has already achieved a record-breaking year for visitor numbers, with similar hopes over the peak holiday period.

“The Whitsundays has had an outstanding year, we’ve had record domestic visitation and we’re looking forward to welcoming our Christmas visitors and closing 2022 on another record visitation figure,” said Tourism Whitsundays CEO Rick Hamilton.

Passenger numbers expected to pass through Sunshine Coast Airport over the Summer break are up 30 per cent on pre-Covid-19 levels, with most flights almost booked out.

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said the Christmas-new year period was looking outstanding for operators.

“We expect to get close to a ‘full house’,” he said.

Summer is not traditionally the busiest time for tourism in the state’s far north, but Tourism Tropical North Queensland chairman Ken Chapman said domestic expenditure was up on pre-Covid-19 levels.

At Sea World, Mr Randhawa said he was confident the New Atlantis addition would measure up against theme park attractions around the world.

“This is the best of the best,” he said.

“You don’t have to be Disney to create magic (and) there’s nothing like this in the world.”