GOLD COAST: Australia’s Gold Coast will increasingly market itself as a more upmarket destination to attract Australian leisure seekers who are benefiting from stronger wages growth.
As part of that push, the Gold Coast will launch the 30-day GC Bazaar festival in June to cater for consumers who enjoy fine dining as well as shopping.
Gold Coast Tourism CEO Pavan Bhatia said that like Singapore, Gold Coast would benefit from a more upmarket image.
But across Australia’s domestic tourism industry there is concern about the strength of the Aussie dollar, which is making it cheaper for Australian’s to holiday overseas.
The Australian dollar edged closer to 84 US cents last week to reach its highest levels since August 1990.
The Australian Hotels Association (NSW) deputy chief executive David Elliott said domestic travellers from places such as Sydney would go overseas more if the currency crept closer to 90 US cents.
“We can’t lose our domestic travellers to the United States or Asia – we are at risk of doing that at the moment, ” Elliott added.
Gold Coast’s Bhatia said low-cost flights from Sydney and Melbourne, and cultural events, would lure domestic travellers to the Gold Coast even if the Australian dollar kept rising.
