Tourists flock back to Hervey Bay to see gentle giants
THE ‘whale-watching capital of the world’, Hervey Bay, is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, despite increasing competition from rival operators, who now stretch the length of the east coast.
QLD News
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THE “whale-watching capital of the world”, Hervey Bay, is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, despite increasing competition from rival operators, who now stretch the length of the east coast.
Marvelling at migrating humpbacks is one of the hottest tickets in tourism, but tourism chiefs and operators in the bay say their product cannot be beaten and bookings are at a five-year high.
Fraser Coast Tourism and Events general manager Martin Simons said Hervey Bay offered the only “premium experience’’, as whales were very relaxed, staying and playing for up to two weeks.
Mr Simons said that this almost guaranteed sightings and close encounters, unlike the open sea, where it was not as calm and the ocean giants were on the move.
“We are having a very good season and bookings for the school holidays are strong,’’ he said.
“July and August saw a record number of tours booked for Fraser Island, with numbers at our visitor centres reaching a five-year high.’’
Mr Simons said whale watching tour numbers were on track to finish several thousand seats ahead of last year. He said good weather would ensure a spectacular finish to the season.
Rebecca Greenshields of Whalesong Cruises said August had been a huge month for operators and the spring break was travelling well.
“There are always last-minute bookings and we would like to let people know that the next few weeks are going to be a great time to see whales if they have been thinking about coming,’’ she said.
“There are about five weeks to go and we always run out of people before we run out of whales.’’
Ms Greenshields said southeast Queensland residents who drove to Hervey Bay made up about 80 per cent of visitors, while the remainder were from Europe, mainly the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
Originally published as Tourists flock back to Hervey Bay to see gentle giants
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