Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre re-welcomes domestic explorers
Posted on August 4th, 2020
Extended holidays, short breaks and day trips are well and truly back on the agenda for Australians with many people itching to get back on the road and explore their country’s vast backyard. And the proof’s in the pudding as the accredited Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre (based at the Ross Creek roundabout in Yeppoon) recorded two very busy months of Queensland visitors throughout June and July.
Despite the intense travel restrictions in place, the Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre welcomed 2356 domestic and 67 international visitors to the Visitor Information Centre throughout the months of June/July, in comparison to the same period in 2019, which welcomed a total of 3368 guests (3081 domestic and 287 international) – a drop of only 725 domestic and 220 international *international visitors were in Australia pre-COVID and could not return.
Acting as a hub for tourism and local residents who want to find out more about the area, the Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre was forced to close its doors on 24th March for 11 weeks, proudly reopening on 8th June following months of restrictions, and has been swarming with enquiries.
Throughout the testing months of April and May, Capricorn Enterprise rolled out the first two phases of our region’s recovery campaign, enticing visitors to explore their backyards and support our local tourism industry. This, together with Tourism and Events Queensland’s ‘Good to Go’ promotions have shown positive signs of slowly rebuilding our destination’s battling tourism sector.
While only a portion of visitors to the Southern Great Barrier Reef destination visit the Information Centre, local tourism operators are also confirming large volumes of current and future bookings, with some accommodation providers reaching capacity across the weekends. And with the August long weekend approaching, the Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre is anticipating another boost in numbers.
Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll is relieved to see optimistic signs for the local tourism industry and commends the community for continuing to support local.
“During the shutdown period, our Coast Information Centre continued to answer 226 phone and email enquiries from people interested in finding out more about our destination and incredibly diverse tourism offering,” Mary said.
“We are now thrilled that visitors can access our valuable resources and facilities in person again and that our wonderful volunteers can showcase some of our lesser-known treasures, as well as the popular and renowned attractions right across our magnificent region.”
“Regardless of the predictable drop in our Visitor Information Centre records from the same period in 2019, the number of enquiries, even throughout the current difficult times, indicate that our region remains a popular tourist destination,” Mary said.
As we saw the State Government reopen borders with the rest of the nation during July, Queensland residents remained our strongest source of visitation, with a total of 1043 signing in at the Visitor Information Centre. The origins of the remaining Centre visitors included – NSW (193), VIC (32), SA (17), WA (4), TAS (8), ACT (5) and NT (2).
The Central Highlands Visitor Information Centre in Emerald (managed by CHDC) and the Mount Morgan Information Centre (managed by MMPAD) also reopened their doors in June.
The Rockhampton Regional Council operated SPIRE Visitor Information Centre on the Bruce Highway entering the city only reopened on 23rd July (an additional 7 weeks after the Capricorn Coast VIC opened).
“We are very proud of our wonderful volunteers who have continued to assist visitors seven days a week,” Mary said.
“Without knowing what the near future holds for border closures, we are hoping that Queenslanders continue to support Queensland and make the most of what’s on offer right on their doorstep.”
“Our operators are practicing COVID-safe guidelines and remain committed to ensuring the safety of all visitors.”
The Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre opens from 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday to Sunday.
