Foreign tourists love Bundaberg

THE Bundaberg region’s tourism chiefs had a solid sense of satisfaction yesterday as figures showed steady growth in international travellers coming to the district.

Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism chairman Greg Barnes said Tourism Queensland figures showed the number of international tourists to the region increased by 8% in the three years to December 2009 compared to the three years to December 2008.

Mr Barnes said Bundaberg did not traditionally have a high number of international visitors.

But the region was doing well compared to Far North Queensland, where the number of international tourists visiting had fallen by 8%.

“They rely heavily on international visitors, so the global financial crisis has hit them hard,” he said.

“We don’t have a lot of strength in the international market, so the global financial crisis didn’t hit us so badly.”

Mr Barnes said the climate and the lifestyle were the main attractions of Bundaberg, and a lot of people visited the area because it was away from the hustle and the bustle of traditional holiday spots like the Gold Coast.

“For some people an attraction is the cheap cost of air travel up here, particularly internationals who fly into Brisbane,” he said.

Mr Barnes said the turtles were a huge attraction, with numbers from November 2009 up by 26% on numbers visiting in November 2008.

Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism had embarked on a significant marketing campaign in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.

“At the moment there is huge confidence in the industry, and we’re targeting market initiatives and we’ve found some savings in efficiencies,” he said.

Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism general manager James Corvan said that although the base number of international visitors was small, the three-year increase was good.