QUEENSLAND TOPS FOR HOLIDAYING FAMILIES

Queensland has nine of the top 10 family holiday resorts in Australia, according to national travel magazine, Holidays with Kids.

Tourism Minister Margaret Keech said she was not surprised by the result, that also delivered a highly commended ranking to three other Queensland resorts.

“More than 3.7 million - or 22 per cent - of domestic visitors to Queensland travelled as a family group in the year ending September 2006,” Mrs Keech said.

“This means that more than one in five visitors to Queensland travelled with children under 15 years of age.

“Families also spent a more than 20 million visitor nights in Queensland to the year ending September 2006.

“You only have to look at the strong hotel occupancy rates during the current family holiday period to see the impact families have on Queensland’s tourism economy.

“While in Queensland some of the main holiday activities undertaken by holidaying families included dining out, going to the beach, shopping, sight-seeing and visiting amusement and theme parks.

Mrs Keech said the Gold Coast boasted four of the top six resorts, five of the top eight and one of those that were highly commended.

“Not surprisingly the Gold Coast is Queensland’s number one destination for family holidays, closely followed by Brisbane and the SunshineCoast,” she said.

“It is home to some of the world’s best beaches, is Australia’s amusement park capital and has some of the best national parks and hinterland attractions in the state.

“The survey confirms that Queensland is truly Australia’s best family holiday destination.

“It is also recognition of the hard work being undertaken by the Queensland tourism industry in producing world-class tourism products,” Mrs Keech said.

Holidays with Kids Magazine asked readers to vote on their favourite family holiday resorts based on children’s facilities and activities, quality of childcare, crèche and babysitting services, standard of service and staff hospitality, standard of accommodation and comfort, value for money, location and destination as well as overall experience.

The successful Queensland resorts in order of votes were:

1. Paradise Resort (Gold Coast)
2. Sea World Resort (Gold Coast)
3. Club Med Lindeman Island (Whitsundays)
4. Hyatt Regency Coolum (Sunshine Coast)
5. BreakfreeDiamondBeach Resort (Gold Coast)
6. TurtleBeach Resort (Gold Coast)
7. Novotel Twin Waters Resort (Sunshine Coast)
8. Couran Cove Island Resort (South Stradbroke Island)
9. Rydges Capricorn Resort Yeppoon (Capricorn Coast)

Highly Commended:

·Ashmore Palms Holiday Village (Gold Coast)

·Daydream Island Resort (Whitsundays)

·Mercure Resort, Great Keppel Island (Capricorn Coast).

Media contacts: Jo Gibbons 3224 2007 or Louise Yates (Tourism Queensland) 3535 5349 / 0419 713 176