The Gold Coast is bracing for another influx of tourists as the busy September school holiday period gets underway.
Public schools across Queensland and Victoria wrap up term three today, while New South Wales and the ACT still have another week.
Despite cost-of-living pressures and rising petrol prices, tourism bosses are confident the coming weeks will be a bumper period for the Gold Coast.
“The Gold Coast continues to be a destination of choice for Australian holiday makers. The forward bookings are very positive, we’re seeing occupancy across the next three weeks at over 72 per cent which is on par with last year,” Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said.
“We also think with last-minute bookings we’ll see occupancy through the school holidays probably in the high 70s to 80 per cent.
“That is a really important moment for the Gold Coast businesses not just the accommodation providers but also our restaurants the cafes and all of the amazing experiences that we have on the Gold Coast.”
The drive market is expected to dominate visitor numbers over coming weeks with tourists flocking here from northern New South Wales, Brisbane, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast.
The city is also expecting plenty of holiday makers from Sydney and Melbourne.
The Gold Coast is also set to turn it on weatherwise with a cracking start to the holiday period.
A sunny top of 28 degrees is expected on Saturday and 26 on Sunday, before hitting 29 degrees on Monday.
“As all of the locals know it’s a magical time of the year on the Gold Coast now.
“Through spring we’ve got that low humidity and really warm temperatures so for everyone down south who escape the cold…it’s a great time for them to come up here and visit and experience some warmer weather.”
