CAPRICORN RESORTS FAMILY FRIENDLY

Capricorn Coast resorts are among Australia’s most family-friendly, according to national travel magazine Holidays with Kids.

Tourism Minister Margaret Keech said she was not surprised by the result, which ranked one of the region’s resorts among the nation’s top nine, and another highly commended.

Overall Queensland won nine of the top 10 spots, along with three highly commended rankings.

Mrs Keech said the survey confirmed Queensland’s position as Australia’s best family holiday destination.

“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.

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

“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 was Australia’s number one family holiday destination, closely followed by Brisbane and the SunshineCoast.

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 LindemanIsland, Whitsundays
4. Hyatt Regency Coolum, SunshineCoast
5. BreakfreeDiamondBeach Resort, Gold Coast
6. TurtleBeach Resort, Gold Coast
7. Novotel Twin Waters Resort, SunshineCoast
8. CouranCoveIsland Resort, SouthStradbrokeIsland
9. Rydges Capricorn Resort Yeppoon, CapricornCoast

Highly Commended:

·AshmorePalmsHolidayVillage, Gold Coast

·DaydreamIsland Resort, Whitsundays

·MercureResortGreatKeppelIsland, CapricornCoast

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