In the wake of the disastrous floods in Queensland, the Australian state is reminding the world that it is still a viable — even valuable — destination.
Most of Queensland’s major tourism destinations — including the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Bundaberg, Gladstone, the Whitsundays, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns and Tropical North Queensland — remain accessible, and tourism operations are normal including beaches, island resorts, accommodation providers, tour operators and attractions.
Tourism Queensland's Director-Americas, Shana Pereira, said that with most of the state’s tourism destinations unaffected by the floods and affected regions now on the way to recovery, the time was right for Americans and Canadians to come and visit.
“We know that our American and Canadian friends have reached out to us and asked how they can help in the recovery and the best way to help Queensland is by booking a Queensland vacation, and by encouraging friends and family to do the same," she said.
On January 20, Queensland Tourism Ambassador and Best Job in the World winner Ben Southall took a tour of Brisbane and spoke with businesses who were affected by the recent floods. Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40fImxnnq0o
Travel information can also be found at www.destinationqueensland.com.
Tour operators to Australia are also reaching out to encourage travel to Queensland. “The majority of our travelers were not affected by the flooding in the southern parts of Queensland, as they were traveling in the Cairns and Far North Queensland area, exploring the Great Barrier Reef and Rainforest” said GoWay Travel founder and President Bruce Hodge, “All major international airports were open throughout the media coverage and now that Rockhampton airport has reopened, there are no problems with air access to all areas of Australia.”
Among the comforting details:
• All Queensland airports are open and operating normally.
• The Bruce Highway, the main road link from Brisbane to Cairns, is open.
• Queensland Rail is operating between Brisbane and Cairns
• Brisbane, the Darling Downs and Capricorn Coast are now recovering with most tourism operations open and affected tourism operations returning to normal as quickly as possible. There are, however, still some local road closures in some areas.
It is worth noting that parts of Central Queensland, Queensland's Outback, Western Downs and the Lockyer Valley continue to be affected and access to these areas is restricted.
In another step to encourage travel to Queensland, Qantas recently announced direct flights Dallas/Fort Worth to Brisbane from May and airfares Los Angeles to Cairns from $499 each way. Visitors can fly to Cairns, Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, including a stopover in Sydney, from $499 each way based on round trip travel from Los Angeles. Visit www.qantas.com for more information.
