It’s not on many of the forward calendars, but Friday August 14 is a holiday which means this weekend is three days’ long.
Queensland’s “Good to Go” and Logan mayor Darren Power wants us to spend the time on home turf.
“This long weekend presents a great opportunity to visit and support local attractions, cafes, restaurants and businesses,” Cr Power said.
“Logan businesses need support now more than ever before. The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic have been tough for everyone, so a long weekend is the ideal time to get some down time in, while also helping revitalise our economy.”
If however, you’re planning to get away from home for the long weekend, tourism operators say it’s wise to be quick.
Bookings are strong at the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast and Southern Queensland country which are all reporting near full capacity.
“Reports from the Sunshine Coast are that finding accommodation is becoming increasingly hard, while on the Fraser Coast many operators, including the whale fleet, are reporting they are near capacity,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
“On the Granite Belt it’s a similar story with operators delighted at the strong forward bookings, not only for the long weekend but through to the September school holidays.
“It’s also not too late to book, but the clear message from industry is to do it quickly.”
As the tourism sector moves into recovery mode, Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the jobs on offer are many and varied, particularly in outback Queensland.
“Vacancies range from housekeepers to baristas and everything in between. I encourage all job seekers to consider the outback,” Minister Jones said.
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Leanne Coddington said the Good to Go campaign had been positively received.
“Our goal remains to generate $1 billion in overnight visitor expenditure and nine million room nights in the September quarter, so these very positive reports of strong booking numbers are certainly welcomed,” she said.
