Gold Coast heading charge of Queensland tourism comeback

There’s a new contender in Australia’s tourism wars, with a Queensland destination nipping at the heels of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in the race for the title of the busiest air route in the country.

The Gold Coast is set to challenge southern superstars Sydney and Melbourne as Australia’s top tourist destination, according to extraordinary research for travel giant Flight Centre.

The latest report from FCM Consulting projects the Gold Coast to be ahead of 2019 visitor numbers by the end of the year, occupying two of the five busiest air routes in the country.

It would leave the Glitter Strip nipping at the heels of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with the route between the southern capitals the busiest in the country, followed by Brisbane-Sydney.

International tourism return to bring $1.3 billion boost to Gold Coast economy

The vote of confidence is a welcome boost for the tourist town, which struggled through the ravages of the pandemic for almost two years before roaring back to life with near-record visitor numbers during the Easter holidays.

Strong numbers are also expected during the looming school break, with the coast turning on magic winter weather.

Keely Smith, 21 and Zhari Boal, 16 enjoy a dip at Currumbin beach on the Gold Coast, which is experiencing an extraordinary tourism boom. Picture: Nigel Hallett

FCM’s General Manager Felicity Burke said the data showed the Gold Coast was bouncing back.

“It’s fantastic that the ever-blossoming Gold Coast, a place that’s long been the jewel in the crown of Queensland, is now genuinely recognised as a place for interstate travellers to visit frequently and for corporates to carry out business in,” she said.

Queensland Airports Limited CEO Chris Mills said it was clear the Gold Coast continued to be a destination of choice for domestic travellers.

“Although international traffic is still recovering, new records are being set for domestic travel,” he said.

“Domestic passenger numbers at Gold Coast Airport were eight per cent higher in May than the same time in 2019.”

The airport will open a 30,000-square-metre terminal expansion later this year, which will allow for additional domestic and international flight connections.

Chris Mills says Gold Coast airport hits milestone with four glass aerobridges being installed.

Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said the data proved that holiday-makers across the country were choosing the Glitter Strip to shake off the post-Covid blues.

“It is a testament to the tourism industry that never stopped investing and marketing, even when the world did,” she said.

“There aren’t many regions in the world that can boast more than $1 billion of new tourism investment over the two years of the pandemic and testimonials from trade representatives like Flight Centre reiterate that this strategy is now bearing fruit.”

Destination Gold Coast chief executive Patricia O'Callaghan. Picture: supplied

She said it would still take several years for a full recovery, but the early signs were promising after a lengthy period of gloom.

With domestic markets on track to surpass 2019 levels, attention is also focused on expanding international links, with New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and Korea viewed as priorities.

Singapore is looming as one of Queensland’s most important emerging destinations, particularly with the void created by the almost total absence of China, our biggest international market before the pandemic.

Extraordinary Gold Coast holiday up for grabs in tourism campaign