Townsville business booms before footy final with hotels booked out, $1000 flights

Only a handful of airline seats remain and one Airbnb is charging $4000 for one night as North Queensland Cowboys fans converge on Townsville for the city’s first preliminary NRL final on Friday.

Townsville is set to be Queensland’s hottest tourist destination this weekend with hotels booked out and flights costing more than double as the NRL finals are expected to bring in $4m for the region.

As the last-man-standing Queensland team in the finals, the North Queensland Cowboys are set to draw about 25,000 people to the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on Friday when they take on the Parramatta Eels.

It’s not only the city’s first preliminary final, but it’s also the first finals game to be played in the newly built stadium which is now in the heart of the city meaning local businesses are gearing up for a busy weekend.

As of Monday, flights from Brisbane to Townsville for the Friday night were scarce with just a handful of seats left on Jetstar flights, the cheapest of which came in just under $1000 for a return flight.

North Queensland Cowboys’ Valentine Holmes after his side won the NRL qualifying final against the Cronulla Sharks this month. Picture: Getty Images

Meanwhile, local hotels have reported no vacancies for the Friday night including Aquarius on the Beach, The Palmer Collective and Grand Hotel and Apartments Townsville, all of which are in close vicinity of the new stadium.

On Booking.com, 98 per cent of accommodation was booked out for the Friday night across the entire city, with only two options available on Monday for the price of $3700 and $3900 for one night.

Meanwhile, on Airbnb, there were fewer than 15 available homes on the Friday night, with prices ranging from $250 for a room to almost $4000 for the night.

One of Townsville’s prime locations, The Ville, is expected to be jam-packed on Friday night with general manager of the hotel Brent Clarke saying the team were excited to see Townsville come alive.

“Our hotel is seeing record occupancy ahead of this weekend’s match, as well as strong restaurant bookings in our venues, with Miss Songs and The Palm House expected to book out,” he said.

Diehard Cowboys fan Benn Cox outside Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Picture: Evan Morgan

The preliminary final is expected to bring in more than $4m for the North Queensland region with director of visitor economy and marketing at Townsville Enterprise, Lisa Woolfe, saying the game should attract crowds from across the state as well as interstate fans.

“Accommodation providers saw an immediate pick-up in demand following the event announcement with forward bookings sitting at 87 per cent as of this morning,” she said.

“We anticipate additional accommodation stock to be released as ticket allocations are confirmed.”

Sealink ferries from Magnetic Island have also moved their regular timetable to allow residents and visitors more freedom to attend the game, with plenty of options still available for those who missed out, according to Ms Woolfe.

“During peak times, accommodation properties will limit their distribution channels to manage demand,” she said.

“We encourage visitors to contact accommodation providers directly to determine availability.”