13th July 2016
A recent travel survey has ranked the Whitsundays among the top 10 of the most popular regional holiday destinations in Australia for the July school holidays. The results of the survey placed the Whitsundays in eighth place on the list, alongside a number of other North Queensland holiday destinations including Port Douglas and Cairns, who took out the top spot.
North Queensland and the Whitsundays in particular are blessed with wonderful weather all year round and as the southern states cop icy temperatures and even snow in some parts, it's no surprise that winter is actually the prime time to visit the Whitsundays. The survey found that 35 per cent of Aussies were opting for a second 'summer' holiday by heading north in the winter school holidays. Only 11 per cent of survey respondents said they embraced the cold weather with a snow holiday.
While Tourism Whitsundays CEO Craig Turner was happy to be ranked in the top 10, he really wants to see it within the top 5 destinations and eventually taking out the top spot. He said the destination had so much to offer and he would like to see continuous growth in the market. Tanya Cran, marketing manager for BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday said it was great news and not surprising as the June/July school holidays had always been popular.
It seems visitors have been taking advantage of the fantastic Whitsunday holiday packages on offer and combining their visit with stays on multiple islands along with trips to the Great Barrier Reef and Whitehaven Beach. Also going in favour of the Whitsundays as a family friendly school holiday destination is the presence of an airport, meaning families can fly in and be at their hotel or on an island within minutes.
