Holidays in Queensland are back in full swing – with operators around the state saying a bumper Easter long weekend is just the beginning of an even sweeter season ahead.
It comes as about 24,000 people travelled through the Gold Coast airport on Sunday.
Another 58,000 passengers flew in and out of Brisbane's domestic airport on Sunday, with another 52,000 expected to pass through on Monday.
It is a stark contrast to two years ago, when some of the state's operators were struggling to fill rooms at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and interstate visitors were locked out of Queensland due to tough border restrictions.
Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe yesterday announced a new My Queensland advertising campaign to attract travellers from New Zealand, which recently reopened its international borders.
Air New Zealand will also relaunch its flights to airports in Queensland and the state's Days Like This campaign will soon be expanded to the New Zealand market.
Pre-COVID, New Zealand was Queensland's second-biggest international market, with 1.5 million passengers on trans-Tasman routes travelling through the state's capital annually.
'Got that vibe again'
Gold Coast holiday apartment manager Marion Simon said Easter had been "amazing — except ours wasn't filled with chocolates, ours was filled with guests".
Ms Simon said this Easter long weekend at Broadbeach's Boulevard North Holiday Apartments was the busiest since 2019.
Operators said tourists also flocked to the Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Longreach, with many making the trip from Melbourne and Sydney.
"We've got holiday-makers, we've got vibe … we've got children jumping in the pool and there's water everywhere and it's wonderful," Ms Simon said.
"We are literally 100 per cent full."
Ms Simon also said she was gearing up for a busy 2022.
"May's looking good, June's not looking bad, November's looking excellent, people are booking already for December," she said.
Destination Gold Coast's Rachel Hancock said the city had 85 per cent occupancy between Good Friday and Easter Monday.
People 'less fearful of travelling'
On the Sunshine Coast, occupancy rates were about 80 per cent and areas closer to the heart of Noosa were even higher.
Tourism Noosa's Sue Willis said operators in the region were rejoicing as they experienced their busiest Easter since before the pandemic began.
"It's a huge celebration, and everybody's in great spirits and it's great to have the whole region full of people that are happy to be here," Ms Willis said.
"We're up 15 per cent on 2019 this year and I think that's just a really strong domestic tourism drive.
"Across the region we are up by about 10 per cent compared to last year."
While interstate travellers were traditionally Noosa's biggest customers, she said this year Queenslanders were boosting occupancy levels.
"We've seen a switch with people not going overseas and then coming to Noosa, which is great news," Ms Willis said.
Plans to recruit more staff
In Townsville, Billabong Sanctuary general manager Beau Peberdy said the park had record numbers across the long weekend and now had plans to start recruiting workers after cutting staff numbers during COVID.
"We've had an amazing long weekend. On average we've had 100 to 200 people more than last year," he said.
Mr Peberdy said the park had also seen the first international visitors returning in recent weeks.
Outback 'niche' holiday
Dan Walker, who operates Camden Park Station at Longreach, said there were a lot of families on the road in western Queensland at the weekend -- with a 100 per cent increase in interstate travellers visiting his station since last year.
"It's good to see a few number plates coming out with different colours on them," Mr Walker said.
He said people travel to the outback for a "niche" holiday, with attractions they cannot experience when visiting the beach for a break.
Mr Walker -- better known as Outback Dan -- said more families were hitting the road and heading west, a location that has traditionally been a destination for grey nomads.
Some international travellers are also starting to trickle into the outback.
An estimated 3,000 tourists made their way to Birdsville, near the Simpson Desert, earlier this month for the Birdsville Races — the first races held since 2019.
Mr Walker said he believed this year's tourism season was set to get even busier.
"It buzzes the town and everyone's got a smile on the dial, which is nice to see," he said.
Mr Walker said anyone looking for a winter escape should put the outback on their bucket list.
"Hit the road and come and support the outback communities."
