Visit Sunshine Coast has secured funding for a major tourism recovery plan, including help from Australia’s three biggest airlines, following disruptions caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
In the wake of major booking and event cancellations, Queensland Minister for Tourism Andrew Powell announced the funding over the weekend, to be distributed by Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ).
The initiative comprises promotional deals with all three airlines – Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia – servicing the Sunshine Coast and expanded advertising for TEQ’s ‘Too Great to Wait’ campaign on Queensland.com.
VSC will also ramp up destination marketing to showcase the region’s attractions, events and experiences as it aims to rebuild visitor confidence.
VSC CEO Matt Stoeckel praised Queensland Government’s swift action, saying they’ve delivered on their promise of immediate support for tourism recovery following the disruptions.
He added that despite minimal physical damage from Alfred, the tourism sector still took a significant hit.
“Tens of thousands of people still cancelled their holiday plans,” Stoeckel explained.
“Many tourism businesses have really suffered. I hadn’t seen hotels that empty since the pandemic.
“A huge issue is also that forward bookings have dried up. People are understandably cautious about booking holidays when they needn’t be, and we will be using this additional funding to get visitors flowing again to limit the loss to our industry.”
Stoeckel also flagged the effectiveness of VSC’s “Real Time” social media campaign, giving prospective travellers a live look at the Sunshine Coast to encourage them to visit.
“While this has helped build back traveller confidence, our operators are calling for more urgent support to recoup losses from the disruption caused by Alfred, and this government funding will help us expand our range of promotional initiatives,” he added.
“We have a great story to tell. Our world-class beaches of Noosa and Mooloolaba are looking good and big events such as the Noosa Festival of Surfing and the Mooloolaba Tri later this month are showing we’re in good shape, we just need to get that message out more widely.”
