In recent weeks, I have spoken about how the impacts of the pandemic are changing consumer trends and the way Australians are choosing to travel in 2021.

From an increase in nostalgic drive holidays with the family, to exploring the great outdoors away from the hustle and bustle, and working remotely while on a relaxing getaway, travel this year is shaping up to be even more different than we could ever have imagined.

Celebrating Queensland’s existing Indigenous experiences, and the commitment to further increase and support Indigenous participation in the tourism industry, this year is the Year of Indigenous Tourism.

The last year has given many of us the time to consider our impacts on the environment and the actions we take as individuals every day, to preserve our incredible country for generations to come.

Supplying 25 percent of the nation’s produce and globally recognised brands calling our backyard home, the Bundaberg region is constantly growing.  

As one of the largest industries in the country, tourism plays a significant role in our local economy, and provides a wealth of exciting opportunities to build your future.

Last week we spoke about the forecasted holiday trends for 2021 and the potential these opportunities bring to our destination and economy. Along with these new travel trends, this year comes with a fresh perspective on work-life-balance.

Every year, the way people travel and take in new experiences changes.  For the Bundaberg region, some of the holiday trends tipped to be favoured by travelers for 2021 presents a range of positive potential for the destination and our visitor economy.

With uncertainty around borders, this year we can expect even more Queenslanders travelling enjoying the attributes of our backyard.  With driving holidays and people wanting to stay closer to home one of the biggest travel trends that has come with COVID. Being only a short 4-hour drive from Brisbane and the population of the south east means visitors can hit the road before the morning peak hour and be here for lunch, soaking up the sunshine, with sand between their toes for a farm fresh picnic and one of our award-winning drinks in their hand.

This new year is a great time to upskill, especially when there are so many fully funded learning opportunities being delivered online as COVID support programs for Queenslanders.

With the way of doing business increasingly going digital, many of these programs are focused on upskilling to do business in a digital environment – providing fundamental skills for a new decade. 

Before visitors arrive in our region to snorkel alongside giant marine life, witness a miracle on our shores as turtles’ nest and their babies hatch, taste farm-fresh produce and sip award-winning drinks, they start dreaming and planning… and that is where we come in.

Our ‘Always On’ digital and social strategy means that our team at Bundaberg Tourism are continually engaging both digitally savvy travellers and those exploring online, to influence their decision-making and encourage potential visitors to make our region their next holiday destination.

From the CEO

What a shock this morning to get the news of the Brisbane three (3) day lockdown. 

With Brisbane our biggest visitor market into the Bundaberg Region, the phones in the VIC have been running hot this morning with cancellations for Turtles and other tours around the region, as well as other regional locals taking advantage of the Brisbane cancellations wanting to snap up turtle tickets!   

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!   

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.

From the CEO

Next Monday 12th kicks off the ticket sales for the Mon Repos Turtle Encounter tours and the beginning of our Summer Season marketing activity. This year has truly shown the strength and resilience of our tourism industry, and it is wonderful to see visitors and locals buzzing with the excitement of our magical turtles and natural environments that we have right here in our backyard. 

A message from Katherine Reid, CEO

Right now, as Melbourne returns to lockdown and many Queenslanders breathe a sigh of relief as our own border restrictions ease from the 10th, there are heightened emotions around the nation as conversations turn to the economic consequences of a second wave.

From the CEO

I hope you had a safe and happy Easter and had an opportunity to find the silver lining in these strange times.  Many tourism industry colleagues I’ve talked to this week have spoken about the chance, for the first time in their working careers, to have an Easter long weekend at home with their loved ones instead of working.  So whatever you did, I hope that you found some happiness in the moments.

From the CEO

Our team are feverishly working in the background on all sorts of activity in marketing, business support and advocacy.  And are updating our website daily with resources and information links. Some of these you may find helpful are:

From the CEO

As we all move along this rollercoaster of change and juggling the emotions that come with it, we only have to stop and look around the Bundaberg Region and be reminded of the exceptionally good in our community...

From the CEO

With the latest Home Confinement Directive changing the way we all approach life day to day, we continue to roll with the punches and try to appreciate the little things in each day...

From the CEO

This time is extraordinarily tough as we navigate the unknown and we appreciate the hard decisions you are needing to make for your businesses every day...

From the CEO

It is now, more than ever, that we need to pull together and support each other.  In these uncertain times, with the situation evolving on a daily basis, it is easy to become overwhelmed and anxious with the flow of information. 

From the CEO

With the current challenges facing our tourism industry and uncertainty on what the next 6-12 months will look like for global travel, it’s now more than ever that we need to band together as Team Bundaberg, to work strategically, to market collectively and to unite as a single voice for the destination. 

From the CEO

On behalf of the tourism industry, we provided a submission and statement to the public hearing for the Parliamentary Inquiry into the redevelopment of the Mon Repos Turtle Centre.

With 50 years of extraordinary turtle research and conservation work at Mon Repos, along with a contribution of approximately $8.5 million to the regional economy each year through tourism, the $22million Mon Repos Turtle Centre redevelopment presents a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Bundaberg Region to build a world class, year round ecotourism experience...