As of 1:00am Wednesday 23 December, all businesses in the hospitality industry including pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes must be implementing digital record keeping of patron contact details with paper-based record keeping no longer accepted as per the the Restrictions on Businesses, Activities and Undertakings Direction.

With only one week until Christmas (how exciting!), it’s incredible to reflect on how far our local businesses and community have come since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and to see our tourism industry thriving once again.  

Thanks to the reopening of Queensland borders, all Australians and New Zealanders can now holiday in our beautiful backyard – right in time for our peak Summer period.

While we were in lockdown and sadly unable to travel, many of us spent time dreaming of all the amazing places we could go once borders reopened and with this now a reality, people are even more eager to travel this year than they were during holiday’s last year.  In fact, a recent holiday intention survey showed that more than 6 in 10 Australians intend to take a domestic holiday over summer, significantly more than 2019.  And of those Queenslanders intending to go on a holiday, 77% intend to stay in Queensland.  Great news for the Bundaberg region!   

The Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference was this year held in Margaret River, WA.  Luckily for us, Bundaberg Regional Council was one of five Councils that invested in having a satellite node, and we were able to tune in to the live conference on the big screen from the Bundaberg Multiplex.  Personally, this was perfect for me, as I was able to come and go to fit in the conference content around other work commitments. 

With border restrictions easing across the nation, more and more people are looking to make up for lost time with their families and friends and to explore all the places they dreamed of while in lockdown. 

With more and more colourful artworks, beautiful murals and intricate statues showcasing our vibrant culture popping up throughout the region, it’s a wonderful opportunity to talk about the wealth of benefits that public art brings to our community and tourism industry.

With the school holidays quickly approaching (4 weeks til Christmas!), we are beginning to see a flurry of activity on our digital channels of people from interstate exploring holidays in our backyard.  

For visitors, every touch point during their holiday makes a difference, and our local businesses play a major role in this. By consistently delivering exceptional experiences around the region, it inspires our visitors to return and spend more money in our community.

A local business person stopped me on the coastal pathway in Bargara over the weekend, as my son and I were strolling along with our icecreams. He mentioned that he had spotted this column in the Bundaberg Today and enjoyed reading it, suggesting that I needed to share also why we do what we do at Bundaberg Tourism. 

The Bundaberg Region Destination Tourism Strategy outlines the foundational pillars of the tourism industry for the region, highlighting an ethos of Green and Meaningful, with sustainability at the forefront of the visitor experience, promoting a strong community sense of responsibility for the land, for the turtle population and for the Great Barrier Reef.