Gold Coast top destination as holiday hordes descend for Easter long weekend

After a few false starts there are signs the Queensland tourism industry is on the cusp of a remarkable turnaround, with the Gold Coast edging out Sydney and Melbourne to be the top destination in the country on the booming Easter weekend.

Queensland is headed for a $2 billion golden Easter egg with research revealing the Gold Coast as the top destination in the country for the long weekend.

An in-depth survey from the Tourism and Transport Forum shows the Gold Coast as the most popular destination for Aussie travellers this Easter, ahead of both Sydney and Melbourne.

It comes with hotels and resorts across the state boasting their best numbers in years as holiday-makers disrupted from summer plans by the untimely Omicron surge make the most of the four-day weekend, while savvy travellers are using just four days of annual leave to create a blissful 11-day break stretching through until Anzac Day.

Domestic terminals at Brisbane and Gold Coast airports are expected to have their busiest days since 2019 on Thursday with the travel boom worth an estimated $2b to the state’s economy.

The Gold Coast will be the nation’s top tourist destination on the Easter long weekend.

The TTF surveyed 1000 travellers about their holiday plans this Easter, with the Gold Coast emerging as the top destination, ahead of Sydney and Melbourne.

Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast also featured high on the list with an incredible 52 per cent of people expected to take a holiday this Easter.

Only four per cent of respondents said they were travelling overseas, with New Zealand and Japan the most popular choices.

TTF CEO Margy Osmond said that after two years of constant disruptions to peak holiday periods from lockdowns and border restrictions the surge in bookings and holiday plans this Easter was just what the doctor ordered.

“The pent-up demand created by the Omicron outbreak ruining the Christmas and summer holiday plans of many and missing out on being reunited with family and friends is also helping to drive the travel rush and many families will be having a more lavish Easter celebration this year as a result,” she said.

Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond. Picture: Regi Varghese

“The Gold Coast continues to be one of the nation’s most iconic and desirable destinations and its great see travellers returning in droves for their taste of the sun, the surf and the theme parks along with the night-life and entertainment.”

Visitor numbers to the Gold Coast have been further boosted by the resumption this week of Jetstar’s Auckland service.

Destination Gold Coast’s head of stakeholder and strategy Rachel Hancock said hotel figures were on par with pre-pandemic levels, with occupancy spiking as high as 82 per cent.

“Our industry has been dreaming of days like this where our cafes and restaurants, tourism experiences and accommodation are a hive of activity,” she said.

“Gold Coast’s tourism operators have worked exceptionally hard during the pandemic to introduce new products and experiences, and it’s great to see this commitment to the rebuild of our visitor economy starting to pay off.”