Positive signs for Bundaberg ahead of spring school holidays

**MEDIA RELEASE**

Forward bookings, sustained accommodation performance and strong Queensland interest point to a positive spring break for the Bundaberg Region.

The Bundaberg Region is heading into the spring school holidays with positive momentum, as forward bookings and recent accommodation performance signal another encouraging trading period for local tourism businesses.

Forward bookings are currently averaging 6.5% higher in the week leading into the break, while short-stay accommodation occupancy across the region has outperformed the same period last year for the past five months.

Bundaberg Tourism’s latest survey of 19 local tourism accommodation businesses supports this outlook. Almost two-thirds of operators reported bookings in line with last year, 10.5% were ahead and several coastal and holiday park operators reported school holiday occupancy between 61% and 100%.

“There are positive signs heading into the spring break. Forward bookings are up, accommodation has maintained momentum and many visitors are still deciding where to travel, giving Bundaberg a real opportunity to finish strongly.”Duncan Littler, Chief Executive Officer, Bundaberg Tourism

The outlook is particularly encouraging given that many visitors are still making their decisions close to travel. Most surveyed operators reported booking lead times between one week and one month, creating a valuable opportunity to convert late bookings as the holidays approach.

Localis data shows the average booking lead time for short-stay accommodation is around 35 days, approximately 10.6% shorter than the same time last year. This suggests there is still room for bookings to build, particularly around the late-holiday period and the Queensland King’s Birthday long weekend.

Queensland visitors remain an important part of the opportunity. Almost one-third of surveyed businesses reported more Queensland customers than last year, while nearly half said their customer mix was broadly unchanged.

The local results align with Tourism and Events Queensland’s latest business and consumer sentiment insights, which identified Southern Great Barrier Reef operators as among the most optimistic about the upcoming school holiday period. Together, the data points to a resilient regional visitor economy with further upside from travellers still finalising their plans.

“The message to visitors is simple: there is still time to book a Bundaberg getaway. Stay another night, add an experience and explore more of the region, because every booking supports local tourism businesses and communities.”Duncan Littler, Chief Executive Officer, Bundaberg Tourism

Survey findings

63.2% of respondents said spring school holiday bookings were equal to the same time last year.
10.5% reported stronger bookings, while 26.3% reported softer bookings than last year. This is not unexpected given shorter booking lead times, with a greater number of last-minute bookings anticipated as the holidays approach.
47.4% reported a booking lead time of around one month and 31.6% said bookings were arriving about one week before travel.
47.4% said their customer mix was similar to last year, while 31.6% reported more Queensland visitors.
Several coastal and holiday park operators reported school holiday occupancy between 61% and 100%.

Bundaberg Tourism conducts pre-holiday industry sentiment surveys to understand current trends, challenges and opportunities, support industry decision-making and inform advocacy and media commentary.

ENDS