Tourism

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The Gympie region is a place of natural beauty. We have stunning landscapes, breathtaking coastlines, majestic forests and abundant wildlife.

Only 2 hours north of Brisbane and 1 hour from the Sunshine Coast Airport, we are well-positioned for locals and tourists.

Our region has a booming visitor economy, with a strong domestic drive market. We are also part of Australia’s Nature Coast.

The Gympie region also has a lot to offer our visitors in the wellness, domestic education, and sporting sectors.

Why do business here?

Our natural resources and wide open spaces offer investors and developers a range of benefits:

Stunning, low density backdrops and land availability
Close to major population bases and airports
Temperate climate, low rainfall and warm winters
Strong occupancy rates and forward bookings
Very competitive land and business costs
Improved road, rail and transport links
Skilled, stable workforce
Free activities to add value to accommodation offers
Few paid tourism experiences
Burgeoning cycling and mountain biking destination
Existing experiences with capacity for growth
Strong major events and festivals portfolio
International alumni and PHD research opportunities (Great Sandy Biosphere, Ramsar Wetlands)
A welcoming “open for business” council ready to convert your interest into investment.

Accommodation with dining and wellness options.
Beach and bush adventure and soft-adventure experiences where nature and wildlife are the hero.
Improve and grow existing iconic tourism experiences.
Hotel, dining and conference facilities for conferences, sporting and wedding markets.
First nation cultural centre, cultural experiences and events.
Evening and night time touring, for example – ghost tours, horse riding on the beach, dark sky and star gazing opportunities.
Breweries, micro-breweries, wineries.
Walking and cycling tours – nature, heritage, scenic (utilising existing trail networks).
Natural events and festivals – mountain biking, cycling, triathlon, ironman.
PHD and alumni tours, research facilities and accommodation.

Our visitor economy is worth around $116.2M each year and growing. Domestic tourism attracts more than 520,000 visitors and accounts for 90 per cent of all visits here.
On average, overnight visitors stay for three nights and 56 per cent of visitors are here for holiday purposes.
International markets account for 51,000 visitors. Growth in our overnight stays is outperforming the Queensland average with around 210,000 overnight stays.
International visitors stay for 3.5 nights and seventy-four per cent of all international visits are for holiday purposes.
We attract 759,541 day-trippers each year.

Travellers seek off-the-beaten-track destinations with open spaces away from crowds and over-tourism.
Active, healthy holidays such as hike and bike tours, particularly challenges and achievements.
Locally grown food and market experience.
Australians experiencing Australia.
Sustainable, conscious travel, with a focus on the environment.
Real stories from real locals add real value to a travellers’ experience.