Tourism showing signs of recovery

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

Timed with the reopening of trans-Tasman travel – the regions first international market to return in over a year – Destination Gold Coast launched its largest-ever marketing push in New Zealand to entice visiting family, friends and holidaymakers this winter and beyond.

The Gold Coast is the first regional Australian destination to launch a major campaign in New Zealand, which comes off the back of our highly successful remind video series that notched up more than 7 million views.

AVIATION

A year ago, Gold Coast Airport temporarily closed its doors. Last week, all domestic connectivity has been restored and we have just welcomed our first-ever international service with Qantas.

In a strong vote of confidence for the region: 

• Rex Airlines joined our domestic aviation mix with double daily flights servicing the Gold Coast’s top two source markets, Sydney and Melbourne.

• As a result of the efforts of Gold Coast Airport, the City of Gold Coast and Destination Gold Coast, Qantas will operate between 4 flights a week to a daily service from Auckland.

• Nearly 180,000 flights to the Gold Coast have been booked in between April 1 and 18, as part of the federal governments half-price flights scheme. New data released on Monday and reported in the Gold Coast Bulletin shows nearly a third of all tickets sold nationally (600,000) are Gold Coast bound, predominantly hailing from Sydney and Melbourne.

DESTINATION GOLD COAST'S COMMITMENT
Tourism is a part of Gold Coast’s fabric and we know that visitors are critical to fill seats, rooms, experiences and attractions. Destination Gold Coast is committed to investing in new marketing initiatives and collaborative partnerships to help fast-track recovery.

The region is buoyed by insights that Gold Coast continues to be one of the most searched holiday destinations online and recently topped the list for Expedia.co.nz, so we know there is pent-up demand for travel from both Australians and Kiwis.  

It’s no secret that the Gold Coast is Australia’s favourite playground and home to some of the world’s best tourism experiences and attractions. As team Gold Coast it’s our job to ensure this message is spread far and wide to deliver more people, to visit more often and spend more during their stay.

Written by Destination Gold Coast CEO, Patricia O’Callaghan