Chinese visitors swap Cairns for the Gold Coast
As north Queensland continues with the big clean-up after Cyclone Yasi destroyed homes and other buildings in several communities, thousands of Chinese tourists are descending on Queensland’s Gold Coast to celebrate Chinese New Year after they were diverted from cyclone-ravaged Cairns.
Gold Coast Tourism and Tourism Queensland bosses were last night facilitating changed travel plans to accommodate Chinese groups who could not cancel their trips.
Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter said the groups are generally part of specific Chinese New Year tours which have bookings for the three main destinations of Sydney, Gold Coast and Cairns.
“We estimate there are somewhere between 6000 to 10,000 Chinese travellers whose travel plans must be rearranged because of the situation in tropical north Queensland, and the Gold Coast is helping these group travellers,” he said.
Tourism Queensland (TQ) says the industry will push ahead with a $10 million marketing campaign, despite damage from Tropical Cyclone Yasi.
TQ chief executive Anthony Hayes says the industry is already reeling after floods in much of the state.
“What we have to start working on now is the plan of attack – I guess we push it back a week or two – but the plan of attack for getting right out there into the Australian market place and into the key overseas markets,” he told the ABC.
“[We need] to say that Queensland is ready and that the worst is over and that places like the Gold Coast have been to a large extent untouched and we want your business.”
Ian Jarrett
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