Queensland tourism revival continues as southerners flock to the Sunshine State

Queensland’s Easter holidays have been a godsend for the state’s tourism industry – and there’s more good news ahead.

We’ve had the main course and now southern holiday-makers are delivering the dessert as Queensland tourism’s Easter feast continues.

Following the best Easter period in three years – worth an estimated $2 billion to the state’s economy, holiday hordes from southern states are now descending on Queensland for their own time in the sun in an encore potentially worth another $1b.

It’s leaving hotels, theme parks and airports full for the third week in a row as tourism operators fill their pockets after two years ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

The extended holiday rush was a key wish from tourism leaders who lobbied State governments to “spread the love” over several weeks this year rather than see a condensed crush followed by a sharp decline in visitor numbers.

While many Queensland families returned to work and school yesterday, holidays in southern states are just getting started.

Siblings Caiden, 11, Isla, 4 and Jaxx Eggins, 7 of Murrumba Downs have fun at Scarborough Beach as Queensland’s golden glow continues after Easter. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Savvy travellers from across the country have also taken the opportunity to turn four days of annual leave into an 11-day holiday capped off by the Anzac Day holiday.

Brisbane Airport’s extraordinary passenger numbers have continued into another week with more than 45,000 domestic passengers expected daily.

Airport spokeswoman Rachel Bronish said it was shaping as an even better April than pre-pandemic 2019.

“The long weekend was even better than we were expecting and we’re seeing continued strong growth from southern markets this week,” she said.

Brisbane Airport spokeswoman Rachel Bronish is rapt with the visitor numbers this Easter. Picture: Richard Walker

The Gold and Sunshine coasts are also basking in the extended holiday bliss.

Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills said it had been a “fantastic Easter” with huge numbers continuing this week.

“We are expecting Anzac Day and Labour Day long weekends to be strong as well,” he said.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said the exceptional numbers were the best news the sector had received in years.

“The Easter glow is lasting and with more long weekends ahead it is shaping as an extremely positive time for the industry,” he said.

“We really do hope that this will be the turning point that we’ve been waiting for.”

Village Roadshow Theme Parks, which runs Sea World, Movie World and Wet’n’Wild on the Gold Coast, has also reported visitor numbers equalling those of pre-Covid.

Village Chief Operating Officer Bikash Randhawa said: “With interstate visitors on school holidays for another week, we are anticipating this visitation trend to continue into the Anzac Long Weekend”.

Dreamworld and WhiteWater World have also been packed in the days since Queensland holiday-makers headed home.

Parks CEO Greg Yong said they were “incredibly buoyed” by attendance numbers.

“These holidays certainly feel like we’re turning the corner post pandemic,” he said.

Hotels across the state are also continuing to attract large numbers, with Accor Pacific CEO Sarah Derry saying the return of Queenslanders to work and school had opened the door for southerners to take advantage of greater availability.