Tourists have flocked to the Gold Coast for the Easter long weekend, with the city ranked the most popular destination for Australian travellers, according to a Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) survey.
TTF chief executive Margy Osmond said a survey of 1,000 people found almost 13 per cent of those planning a trip were opting for the Gold Coast, followed by Sydney and Melbourne.
"It offers all of the bits and pieces that you would like in one package.
"You are getting the beach, you are getting the ability to go shopping, you're getting the theme parks."
Sirjana Sharma travelled to the Gold Coast with her family and friends from Sydney and said it was the theme parks that attracted them.
"It's the school holidays; of course we are going to come here," she said.
"We had so much fun in WhiteWater World and Movie World ... it has so much to offer for tourists.
"After nine years [away], so much has changed around the city."
'A last-minute whim'
Mick May drove from Mudgee in central west New South Wales with his wife and two children.
He said they had been waiting for two years for the opportunity to travel.
"We were actually meant to go away on a cruise pre-lockdown and two days before we were due to leave everything got shut down," he said.
"We've been waiting to get away somewhere and we thought this was a good place to bring the kids."
Joe Breidi lives in Sydney and said he and his family wanted good weather after experiencing a wet start to 2022.
"It was a last-minute whim because our plans fell through in Sydney because of the weather," he said.
The couple said they did not have a problem finding accommodation but did notice a number of restaurants were short-staffed.
"You can see that all of the restaurants are still struggling but hopefully they get them back soon," Mr Breidi said.
Lisa McLaren and her husband, David, travelled down the M1 from Brisbane and chose to stay in Broadbeach.
"We haven't had to use the car once; everything is in walking distance.
"The variety of all the restaurants, we've had a different meal every night and the beach is second to none."
City reinvented
Destination Gold Coast's head of stakeholders and strategy, Rachel Hancock, said most visitors had travelled from Sydney and Melbourne.
"It's been a long time coming for tourism operators across the coast," she said.
"They've hung on through the pandemic, and the last school holidays in December was really difficult with Omicron, but now we're coming through it.
Ms Hancock said theme park upgrades and new food and beverage offerings had added an extra dimension to the city's tourist appeal.
"They've reinvented themselves really; it's a different Gold Coast to what it was two years ago.
The TTF said almost one-third of those surveyed who were planning a holiday would spend between $500 and $1,000 on their break, while almost a quarter would spend between $1,000 and $2,000.
