The Sunshine Coast tourism industry is ready to welcome holidaymakers with accommodation, attractions, and tours open and back to business as usual.
Visit Sunshine Coast (VSC) CEO Matt Stoeckel said his thoughts go to those who have been impacted by ex-TC Alfred and offered a huge thanks to the emergency services personnel who worked around the clock to keep the region and its visitors safe.
He said Sunshine Coast Airport was fully operational along with the public transport network, hotels, attractions, tours and restaurants. However, some facilities may remain disrupted due to a handful of roads remaining closed.
“We have a lot of ground to make up though – I haven’t seen hotels this empty since the pandemic.
“But the good news is that our events are in full swing with everyone is looking forward to the Noosa Festival of Surfing this weekend that will show that our world-class beaches like Mooloolaba and Noosa are in great shape and ready to be enjoyed.”
Mr Stoeckel said the Sunshine Coast was getting back to business as usual and is ready to welcome holidaymakers.
“To help the tourism industry, VSC has launched a new Real Time Social Media Campaign to show holidaymakers what the Sunshine Coast really looks like, right now, through photos and videos.
“The Real Time content will be shared using the hashtag #SunshineCoastForReal across VSC’s official Instagram and Facebook pages and focus on showcase that our tourism industry is back open for business.
“The best way to get people travelling again is by showing people exactly what the Sunshine Coast looks like right now,” Mr Stoeckel said.
“We’ve had an instant response to the campaign with 64,000 video views overnight.
“Some tourism businesses have not had any customers for a week, and it’s so important that we get the tourism industry flowing again.”
The campaign has the support of VSC members who are sharing Real Time content across their own channels.
One of the first operators to share her real time content with VSC is Verena Olesch of Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World, who welcomed 40 visitors on Tuesday but said that was well below normal weekday numbers.
“The sun is out and it looks immaculate. All the animals are safe and they’ve just missed having people to play with,” she said.
The Instagram reel can be viewed here: Instagram
Keep up-to-date with rolling coverage from the Sunshine Coast across VSC’s official Instagram and Facebook pages.
