HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

STAY SANE IN SCHOOL BREAK

THE Gold Coast can look forward to one of the biggest influxes of winter school holiday-makers in years as students in Victoria, NSW and Queensland take a two-week break from today.

The synchronised winter school holidays are expected to lure families north to Queensland from today until July 13 and lead to extra delays on the roads and at airports.

Crowds are expected to swell again from July 7 when students in Tasmania, West Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory begin their winter breaks.

Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter said the synchronised dates were “a double-edged sword” for accommodation providers and tourism-related attractions.

“When holidays are out of synch, the Gold Coast benefits from having visitors from Queensland and NSW over a longer period.

“If they are all coming at the same time there will be better numbers but there will be a chance that we won’t benefit for as long.”

International travellers have been warned they could face a chaotic end to their holi- days, with customs and immigration officers at Australian airports – including on the Gold Coast – set to walk off the job for two hours on Wednesday from 9am.

The Community and Public Sector Union has warned the strike, over proposed workplace bargaining policies, will affect international airports in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin.

The union warns people to expect disruptions at seaports and other customs and immigration centres as well.

Road policing command Acting Assistant Commissioner Mike Keating said police would target drivers using mobile phones during the school holidays as part of Operation Cold Snap in a bid to stem the rising road toll.

“It’s absolutely clear that distraction is a major contribu- tor to the fatal five,” he said.

Cinemas and theme parks are looking forward to a boost in trade in the next two weeks.

Sea World expects its new Creatures of the Deep attraction to rope in crowds while Movie World is counting on its Junior Driving School and revamped stunt show to boost its gate.

Whale watching businesses are also braced for a boost in business during the holidays.