It’s “business as usual” for most Queensland tourist destinations following Cyclone Ului
Posted by editor (editor) on Mar 25 2010
2010 >>

The majority of Queensland’s tourism destinations were unaffected by Cyclone Ului and are operating “business as usual” Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said today.

Mr Lawlor said while the Mackay and Whitsundays region continued to focus on cleaning up and returning to normal, the rest of the state’s coastal destinations including Tropical North Queensland, Townsville, the Capricorn Coast, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, Sunshine and Gold Coasts and Moreton Bay and Islands were unaffected.

Queensland’s inland regions were also at their greenest and were brimming with life following recent rains.

“Following exaggerated media reports, the perception is that the damage caused by Cyclone Ului, which crossed the Queensland coast at Airlie Beach early Sunday morning, has been much more widespread than it was,” Mr Lawlor said.

“The reality is that while clean up continues in Mackay and the Whitsundays, the rest of the state’s coastal areas are enjoying normal conditions with all roads, accommodation and tours operating as usual.

“Additionally, many Mackay and Whitsundays tourism operators, including most island resorts and day tour operators, are now back in business or are expecting to be open by the end of the week.

“In fact, the weather across the state is currently normal for this time of year with warm days, balmy nights and perfect conditions for an autumn break.”

Mr Lawlor said with the peak Easter holiday period a little over a week away he wanted to urge holidaymakers not to change their plans to come to Queensland.

“Our tourism operators up and down the coast and inland are gearing up for a great Easter and I would encourage anyone who has an Easter holiday booked to still plan on packing their bags and those who haven’t yet booked to take advantage of a fantastic Queensland holiday deal,” Mr Lawlor said.

“If any holidaymaker has concerns about the status of an existing booking or weather conditions, I would advise them to check with the operator directly or visit the Queensland Holidays website for the latest updates.

“While the Queensland Government is doing everything it can to help affected tourism operators in Mackay and the Whitsundays get back to normal, I want to assure holidaymakers that in the rest of Queensland, it’s business as usual.”

Mr Lawlor said the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh and State Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt yesterday announced the allocation of $75,000 in tourism funding to encourage people to holiday in North Queensland.

The money is on top of more than $800,000 currently being spent on inter-state and international campaigns to lure people to Queensland.

Last changed: Mar 25 2010 at 10:28 AM