The Sunshine Coast has become more popular than the Gold Coast in the pandemic, with more domestic visitors seeking an “authentic experience” here rather than going to the Glitter Strip.
Tourism data shows despite our smaller size, the Sunshine Coast welcomed more domestic holidaymakers than the Gold Coast in the year ending December 2020.
And the demand appears to be continuing as local operators report they are already booked out for Christmas on top of experiencing their best-ever year in 2020.
Despite the Gold Coast’s bigger personality and more accommodation, the Sunshine Coast has stolen some of its glitter and has emerged as the preferred destination for Queenslanders to unwind.
A total of 3.034 million domestic visitors flocked to the Sunshine Coast – mostly from within the state – compared to the Gold Coast’s 2.222 million, according to Tourism and Events Qld Regional Snapshot.
The two Coasts had an almost equal number of day-trippers, with the Sunny Coast welcoming 6.286 million and the Gold Coast 6.280 million.
Overall, however, both Coasts’ figures were officially down on pre-COVID times, according to the data, with the Sunshine Coast’s domestic numbers reduced by 25 per cent and the Gold Coast by 47 per cent.
The statistical fall was despite many accommodation operators reporting that the year of the pandemic was the best they had ever experienced, with continually solid bookings and increased takings.
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Newport Apartments Mooloolaba manager Ben Sullivan said his rooms were already booked out for Christmas after last year experiencing “the best Christmas we’ve ever had”, with takings up by $100,000 on pre-COVID times.
The revenue spike continued in January with the till up by $75,000 and hauls of an extra $20,000 in February and $60,000 in March.
Mr Sullivan said the Gold Coast’s significant reliance on overseas visitors had had a major impact because of international border closures.
But it when it came to Queenslanders deciding where to travel at home, he said they opted for the Sunshine Coast which was “considered more family friendly” with a better “atmosphere” that was more relaxed, he said.
“You can go to the beach here and have a barbecue and it feels like home whereas you don’t get that on the Gold Coast,” he said.
“The Gold Coast is set up as an international tourist destination and they can’t come back from that.”
Caloundra Chamber of Commerce president Michael Shadforth said the Sunshine Coast offered what many people were looking for in the pandemic — somewhere “authentic”, restful, natural and which felt like home.
Mr Shadforth said many visitors had also returned after many years to rediscover the Coast and find that the region had matured with a vibrant cafe culture, good food and a “funky, real vibe”.
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He said visitors were also attracted to the down-to-earth feel of the Sunshine Coast and the fact you could swim at the beach in the morning and climb a mountain in the afternoon.
“It’s not a holiday experience like you get when you go overseas; it’s a place you could go that was like a second home, it felt more familiar and you could come back, and people just kept coming back,” said Mr Shadforth.
‘It’s not a plastic and in-your-face tourism money grab. It’s a region that has a focus on locals and the tourists benefit from that.”
Booked out every weekend
Element on Coolum Beach owner Susannah Hart said Queenslanders had saved the Sunshine Coast during an unprecedented time that could have been devastating.
Tourism operators who had feared the worst are instead enjoying another bumper year and Ms Hart’s apartments are already booked out every weekend for 2021 and during the Christmas period.
She said visitors were mostly from Queensland, within the drive market, and many were repeat holidaymakers who had loved their stay, plus many weddings held over from last year on top of new ones.
“Our quiet months are usually February, May and November but this year it’s pretty much the opposite because it’s quite busy,” said Ms Hart.
“We’ve been supported by Queenslanders quite well, they saved the day for us and the people from the Sunshine Coast.”
Altitude on Montville is also 30 per cent up on previous years and owner Ryan Purcell said 2020 was their biggest year ever despite losing 13 weeks during the height of the pandemic.
Mr Purcell said bookings across the year had also increased from 55 per cent to 80 per cent.
“The Sunshine Coast is definitely benefitting a lot more from people not travelling overseas and spending their money in Australia,” he said.
Not all sunshine and roses
However, Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said not everyone was doing well during the domestic tourism revival and it would “take some time” for the Sunshine Coast to reach pre-pandemic tourism levels.
“There are many operators who continue to struggle because of the loss of international travellers and impact to the conference market,” said Mr Stoeckel.
“To the year ending December 2020, the Sunshine Coast visitation declined by 29.4 percent to just over 3 million overnight visitors and expenditure reached $2 billion also a decrease of 33.6% into the local economy.
“Fortunately, we have been able to capitalise on our drive market to mitigate some of the impact of the pandemic during this period.”
“One of our most successful initiatives has been highlighting the breadth and depth of experiences across the region, as this content has really resonated with our markets during this time.”
