Tourism expert Professor Sarah Gardiner outlines what Gold Coast can do to attract overseas visitors back

A leading tourism expert has revealed what is needed to attract overseas visitors back amid a loss of flights to Gold Coast Airport and troubling visitation figures.

A leading tourism expert says the Gold Coast risks becoming a day-trip destination for international tourists who base themselves in Brisbane after the loss of direct flights to Asian cities.

Professor Sarah Gardiner, who is director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism, said research showed direct connections were especially important to visitors from Asia.

“What we can see from international travel trends is that point to point connectivity is really important,” she said.

“It’s particularly important for the south East Asian market.”

Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism Professor Sarah Gardiner.

Professor Gardiner’s comments come following a report in the Bulletin showing how the number of international passengers at Gold Coast Airport has fallen sharply following the loss of connections to Asian cities including Tokyo, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Federal government research suggested the Gold Coast was also faring worse in luring international visitors back to the city than most other Australian destinations.

Professor Gardiner said the Gold Coast risked becoming a day-trip destination for tourists who based themselves in Brisbane, and needed “innovative thinking” to tackle the problem.

“There is a risk for the Gold Coast that Brisbane becomes the bedroom of our international visitors and then the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and surrounding areas become day trip destinations from a Brisbane hub,” she said.

“So moving forward, making sure there’s a real need for overnighting on the Gold Coast is really important.

“What we can see from recent research in this space is the night time economy is really important in terms of getting people to spend nights in a destination.

“The opportunity to activate our night time economy is really important, and also I see major events playing a really important role in getting people to overnight on the Gold Coast and extending their stay.

“The things that get people not just spending a day but spending a night in the city.”

Gold Coast Airport has lost most of its direct connections to Asia. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Professor Gardiner said nature-based tourism was also increasingly popular with international travellers, creating possible opportunities for the Gold Coast to reshape its brand.

“In terms of the Gold Coast destination brand we’ve got to extend the brand beyond just surf, beaches and city. I think there’s lots of opportunity to look at hinterland and nature-based experience for the Gold Coast,” she said.

“The need to work out exactly what our iconic offer is in terms of the hinterland destination is something we need to think about, particularly as we move towards the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“ ... What would be the offering, what would be the pinnacle experience in the hinterland once we got people up there?”

A tourist at Purlingbrook Falls in Springbrook National Park. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Noting that the modern world was one where “social media reigns”, Professor Gardiner said tourists wanted places where they could capture ‘Instagrammable’ moments in areas of natural beauty.

She said tourists were also attracted to nature-based experiences with good accessibility to nearby cities that included local food offerings on site.

“The other thing we’re seeing in terms of tourism trends is the sort of integration with food and beverage experiences. So having local food and produce available for people to either consume on site, maybe through a restaurant or cafe experience, but also as souvenirs, so to take that produce home as well,” she said.

“ ... We actually did some research for Tourism Events Queensland as part of the nature-based tourism study just prior to the pandemic and they’re really looking for something where they stay in a city like the Gold Coast during the night and then venture out either one or two hours out of the city to go and have a nature-based experience and then come back to the city of that evening.

“We looked at destinations and experiences right around the world and we saw that most of them were in sort of an hour or two of a major accommodation hub within a sort of urban city environment.”

Professor Gardiner cited work done at Philip Island with its ‘penguin parade’ and success achieved in Tasmania as examples the Gold Coast could look to as it battled to turn around its disappointing international tourism numbers.

“For me this isn’t a new challenge for the Gold Coast. This has been going on for a while now,” she said.

“It would be great to see some innovative thinking in terms of how we tackle this moving forward.”

An image from the website of Japanese travel giant H.I.S., with the original Japanese text translated by Google.

NATURE AND FOOD EXPERIENCES HIGH PRIORITY FOR JAPANESE TRAVELLERS

The website of Japanese travel giant H.I.S. – similar to Flight Centre – shows nature and food-based experiences are high on the to-do list for its visitors to the Gold Coast.

The top three experiences listed on the agency’s site are Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, a glow worms tour featuring Natural Bridge and the SkyPoint Observation deck – all locations offering great photo opportunities.

“When you think of the Gold Coast, you think of glow worms. Let’s go see glow worms that you can’t see in Japan,” a translation of the site’s Japanese text regarding the glow worms tour reads. “ ... On clear nights, you can also enjoy the starry sky of the Southern Hemisphere, which you cannot see in Japan. 100% satisfaction guaranteed!”

An image from the website of Japanese travel giant H.I.S., with the original Japanese text translated by Google.

Seasonal opportunities to go whale watching and view Jacaranda trees in full bloom are mentioned, while customers are also offered day tours to Moreton Island, Byron Bay and Lady Elliott Island.

Under a section titled ‘Popular food among locals – I can’t leave without eating and drinking this’, Betty’s Burgers, Boost Juice and Peter’s Fish Market are listed as options.

“Boost is Australia’s national drink,” the agency proclaims. “It’s a smoothie that gives you energy, perfect for the hot Gold Coast! Be sure to give it a try.”

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Originally published as Tourism expert Professor Sarah Gardiner outlines what Gold Coast can do to attract overseas visitors back