Holiday-makers turn to the Whitsundays in record numbers.
Queensland has claimed the crown as Australia’s tourism capital for the first time in the clearest sign yet the state has smashed the shackles of the coronavirus pandemic.
New figures, to be released on Wednesday from Tourism Research Australia, show domestic visitor spending in Queensland for the year to March exceeded every other state, with Far North Queensland, the Whitsundays and Sunshine Coast breaking all-time records.
The Whitsundays has been another outstanding success story as holiday-makers turn to the region in record numbers.
Tourism Whitsundays CEO Rick Hamilton said the 844,000 visitors was 33 per cent more than in 2019 with total spending soaring beyond $1.1 billion for the first time.
“It’s a fantastic result,” he said.
“The Whitsundays is the nearest thing to an overseas destination we have in Australia so we’ve really hit the sweet spot.”
