RELAX, WE’VE GOT THIS

NO doubt thousands of Gold Coasters reached into their pockets to help raise much-needed funds for the bushfire relief efforts across the nation.

But now the Gold Coast needs you – and all the city wants is for you to give yourself a break.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the state’s tourism leaders yesterday launched an appeal for Queenslanders to take a holiday in the Sunshine state as it grapples with the fallout of the coronavirus and its impact on the lucrative tourism industry.

Destination Gold Coast chief executive Annaliese Battista has also issued the plea, imploring Gold Coasters to holiday in their own backyard.

The beaches, the Hinterland, the theme parks, the amazing restaurants – the Gold Coast has it all.

In just a few short months, the state’s tourism industry has been hit by the perfect storm. From fires and floods to the current coronavirus crisis, it’s taken more than its fair share of punches.

But you can help. Let’s put some figures around the call to action to holiday at home.

A domestic tourist spends on average $156 a night. In the year ending September 2019, there were 18.369 million domestic leisure visitors to Queensland. If they all stayed just one extra day, it would contribute an extra $2.9 billion in overnight spend. Just one extra day.

If only five per cent of the state’s population booked a Queensland weekend getaway, they would contribute around $100 million for the tourism industry.

While the extent of the coronavirus and its impact is still not known – and won’t be known for some time – industry leaders are wasting no time in ensuring domestic tourism helps fill the void left by the significant drop in international tourists, particularly from China.

So give yourself a break – and give the industry a break. There are plenty of little gems on the Gold Coast.