Queensland’s favourite destination to holiday at home revealed

They’re two of the world’s most breathtaking regions - and Queensland is lucky to have both. But one has just been crowned as the favourite place for locals to holiday. VOTE IN POLL

The Sunshine Coast has pipped the Gold Coast as Queenslanders’ favourite place to holiday at home, as regional towns enjoy a domestic tourism boom that surpasses pre-Covid times, according to the Tourism and Transport Forum.

Australians’ love affair with exploring destinations within their own country was sparked while the borders were closed, but new data shows not only is this continuing but it is only growing stronger.

The Gold Coast was the number one holiday destination of choice for Australians travelling interstate, the regional tourism analysis commissioned by the TTF found.

But it was the Sunshine Coast which was the favoured choice of Queenslanders looking for time away in their own state.

Both tourism meccas showed 14 per cent growth in the number of nights holiday-makers were spending in them, comparing visitation between December 1 and May 31 ending in 2019 to the same period ending in 2023.

It was stronger growth than anywhere else on the east coast of Australia.

The data also showed the Sunshine Coast was the most popular domestic destination for Queenslanders to holiday, followed by the Gold Coast, NSW north coast, southern Queensland country and far north Queensland.

Huge crowds at Noosa on New Year’s Day. Picture Lachie Millard

Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said there could be many reasons for the Sunshine Coast to outshine the Gold Coast with locals.

“The Gold Coast is people coming from southern states wanting the beach experience, while the Sunshine Coast lifestyle is appealing to locals,” she said.

“Perhaps the Sunshine Coast is a slightly gentler holiday, it’s a bit more relaxing.”

Ms Osmond said all the signs pointed to the increase in Australians holidaying at home would continue, with Queensland set to be a major beneficiary of the trend.

Tourism and Transport Forum boss Margy Osmond. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

“If one of the outcomes of Covid is that Australians have rediscovered, or discovered for the first time, how gorgeous their own backyard is, that’s a wonderful thing,” she said.

“While there was a throughly explainable surge of travelling Australians when you couldn’t go anywhere else, there has been a continued growth.

“Regional tourism has maintained and increased from what we saw after Covid. It doesn’t seem to be fading away.”

Originally published as Queensland’s favourite destination to holiday at home revealed