Tourism down but still strong
The chief executive officer of the Gold Coast Tourism says the global economic crisis is deterring visitors. Martin Winter has told a tourism forum at Bond University that domestic and day tripper numbers are down and he believes there will be fewer international visitors in the months ahead.
He says conferences have been cancelled and fewer people are dining out. "During the April holiday period, visitations to the Gold Coast were down about 10 per cent in accommodation terms, but happily in September this reduced to a 5 per cent reduction in comparison to the same time last year and also business tourism has been heavily affected," he said. "What we are seeing is a reflection across the whole of Australia and the Gold Coast is not suffering as badly as other places."
The forecast for Gold Coast Tourism is getting stronger from Australian holiday makers as they divert from overseas travel to enjoy their own back yard.
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