By Grantlee Kieza, Industry Reporter
Queensland’s trio of long-weekends combined with the end of lockdowns generated a staggering $2 billion boost to the State's visitor economy. Some holiday properties saw an increase of more than 50 per cent in REVPAR (Revenue Per Available Room). Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Brett Fraser told Resort News that accommodation providers across the state had reported high occupancy rates during the April tourism season, as holidaymakers took full advantage of the Easter period. “After a challenging past two years, our state’s tourism operators are benefitting from renewed consumer sentiment and a desire to travel which has seen thousands of Australians exploring our great regions,” Mr Fraser said. ResortNews | June 2022
The Gold Coast is experiencing a resurgence in the domestic market in 2022 not experienced since the 2015 to 2016 peak marketing campaign of “Australia’s Theme Park Capital”, when tourism levels were maintained throughout the year, and the domestic markets were clambering just to find enough rooms. During March and April 2022, interstate tourism from NSW and Victoria returned to the Gold Coast in droves, spending big on food and beverage, retail and entertainment, and highlighting the pent-up demand and euphoria of finally being let out to play. Paradise Resort encapsulated that trend, experiencing high demand across all areas of the resort, culminating in a 57 percent increase in RevPAR to $225.25. General Manager David Brook said food and beverage sales had been at an all-time high with massive demands for the myriad of activities, entertainment and facilities, including the everpopular Kids Zone, water parks,
laser tag and the property’s latest addition to the resort, the Pamper Parlour for hair braiding. “Looking forward, the forecast is for continuing strength in demand across the year ahead,” Mr Brook said. “Bookings for the coming July, September and December school holidays are well above anything seen for many years. Encouragingly, there is a trend of extended stays averaging more than six nights per booking.” On the Sunshine Coast REVPAR figures were up 15 percent in March 2022 compared to March 2021 and heading north. Matt Stoeckel, CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast, said that despite sometimes variable weather, the Sunshine Coast had enjoyed an outstanding April. “The combination of Easter, school holidays, three long weekends in a row and some major events lifted occupancy to over 85 percent for the month, according to STR figures,” Mr Stoeckel said.
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Good things come in threes as Queensland travel booms
“This was across the hotel sector, while other short-stay accommodation and camping grounds reported similar or even higher occupancies. “It is difficult to compare with performance over the past few years, because of the impact of the pandemic, but the figures reflect the strength of the domestic leisure market. Major events are now back on the calendar, while business events are slowly returning, and we are looking forward to some large conferences taking place in June that had been deferred from the past two years.” Mr Stoeckel said international visitation was still a long way from recovering, but the New Zealand market was showing greater activity and the return of direct flights into Sunshine Coast Airport in July would help lift occupancy over winter. Queensland’s Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said great deals on getaways in the state had helped create record travel for Easter.
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