Sunshine Coast a hot destination for Australia Day

The Sunshine Coast has come in at No.2 in the country on a list of the hottest regional destinations for tourists for Australia Day in statistics compiled by a leading online travel site.

Wotif.com has counted down the nation’s leading destinations, revealing Queensland beach and tropical destinations are the most in demand spots for the “long weekend” in a trend predicted to continue into 2017.

Wotif.com’s Amanda Behre said Australia Day was always a popular time for Aussies to head to the coast and there was strong interest in Queensland travel in 2017.

“Plenty of Aussies are set to make the most of the Australia Day break, with the sun and surf of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, coupled with affordable accommodation options attracting holiday-makers both locally and from interstate,” she said.

According to Wotif.com, 88% of Aussies are planning a holiday this year and three-quarters (73%) of those will opt for a domestic trip.

Specifically, short breaks outside of the major capital cities are set to be popular.

Tourism, Events and Sport Portfolio Cr Jason O’Pray said the No.2 ranking for Australia Day holidays was something the Sunshine Coast should be proud to achieve.

“We’re doing a fantastic job in selling ourselves as a tourist destination and in offering just what holidaymakers are looking for,” Cr O’Pray said.

“Last year was a tremendous one for our tourism industry and those benefits are felt throughout our economy.

“For the first time, our Sunshine Coast Airport hit the million passenger mark within a single year and we experienced a 13.5% growth in visitor numbers to a total of 3.25 million for the year to September 2016.

“That growth was well ahead of the 4.8% growth rate for Australia and 1.8% increase for Queensland.”

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Simon Latchford said the Sunshine Coast was set to reap the benefits of many people taking a longer break this weekend.

“The tourism industry is excited because as the Wotif bookings are telling us, many people will choose to come to the region for a short break and stay three nights rather than just two,” he said.

“When people get a chance for a four-day weekend, it’s always a bumper weekend for tourism operators and will be a tremendous and fitting end to the Sunshine Coast summer school holidays.”

The ‘hottest’ Australia Day long weekend regional destinations according to wotif.com

1.    Gold Coast, QLD

2.    Sunshine Coast, QLD

3.    Cairns, QLD

4.    Great Ocean Road, VIC

5.    Whitsundays, QLD

6.    Byron Bay, NSW

7.    Central Coast, NSW

8.    Wollongong, NSW

9.    Hunter Valley, NSW

10.  Mornington Peninsula, VIC