Southerners from ritzy suburbs top Noosa visitors

Lockdowns and border restrictions did little to deter interstate tourists from enjoying a Sunshine Coast Christmas break.

Noosa enjoyed a huge increase in interstate Christmas visitors in 2020. Picture: Jesse Lindemann.

Lockdowns and border restrictions did little to deter interstate tourists from enjoying a Sunshine Coast Christmas break.

Noosa’s leading tourism body Tourism Noosa confirmed the region enjoyed a massive increase in December visitors on the previous year.

The average daily occupancy rate improved by a huge 14.28 per cent.

“While 2021 has not started off as smoothly as we were all hoping with Covid clusters and uncertainty with borders changing, it has been nice to see Noosa so busy over the festive season,” Tourism Noosa CEO Melanie Anderson said.

Data revealed Victorian and New South Wales visitors made up close to 10 per cent of total visitors to Noosa in December last year. Picture: Daniel Kiritsis.

Tourism Noosa data revealed Victorian and New South Wales visitors made up close to 10 per cent of total visitors in November and December.

Victorians made up 3.37 per cent of Noosa’s visitors with top suburbs being Brighton, Caulfield, Beaumaris and Kew.

New South Wales visitors came in at 5.59 per cent and top suburbs were Mosman, Kingscliff, Tweed, Banora Point and Byron Bay.

Planned Coolum parking ‘losses’ rile Sekisui protesters

New website reveals councillor’s salaries, expenses

The remainder of visitors were from Queensland and the top visiting suburbs were Ashgrove, Carindale, Clayfield and Coorparoo in Brisbane.

Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay with Gold Coast visitors were not far behind.

Ms Anderson said while Noosa was enjoying a “great holiday season” she could foresee some challenges for tourism locally and beyond in the near future.

“Tourism Noosa is looking ahead and there are definitely some challenges for tourism here and across the country, with consumer sentiment waning and hesitancy to make holiday bookings for fear of border closures and Covid community transition,” she said.

“Noosa, like all coastal destinations in Australia, is experiencing staff shortages and housing affordability and accessibility issues, and these too will have an impact on the year ahead.

Originally published as