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5:38AM Sunday 23 November, 2008 Sunshine Coast weather Mostly sunny min 17° - max 25°

Tourists back on beach

3 October 2008

| By Grant Reynolds

Finally some good news.

It didn’t rain, hotels were full and the beach has been looking a darn sight better than it did three months ago.

The school holidays have seen Noosa rebound with strong visitor numbers despite what many had called a “perfect storm” of miserable weather and an economic downturn pointing to a slump in Noosa’s number one industry.

Tourism Noosa CEO Steve Cooper said the school holidays had seen resurgence in visitation.

“It’s equal to and in the majority of cases better than what we saw last year,” he said.

Mr Cooper said the entire September to October period was solid, the school holidays book-ended by an influx of visitors for the Noosa Jazz Festival and the Noosa Triathlon.

“The house full sign is not far from being put up,” he said.

Certainly the least scientific indicator but no less reliable, a stroll along Main Beach showed towel spaces were at a premium and tourism operators we’re in a positive mood.

“That’s a healthy sign that tourism is in a healthy state,” Mr Cooper said.

“It’s (the mood) upbeat, it’s positive and it’s great to see people out and about.

A return to form couldn’t be better timed as Hastings Street traders prepare to show off the new-look street with a bang at the end of November.

Noosa 5 Cinemas marketing manager Lucinda Morely said the cinema usually benefited from inclement weather but they’d still seen large audiences and down on the river, owner of T-Boat Hire Greg Patrick said the holidays were a return to normal, with steady numbers.

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