November 23, 2020
The South Burnett has recorded the highest occupancy rate across the Southern Queensland Country Tourism region (SQCT) for the fourth consecutive month, according to a new study.
SQCT reported the South Burnett’s occupancy rate during October was 69 per cent.
This was a 26.24 per cent increase on the same month last year.
It is also the highest occupancy rate in the SQCT region, which also includes the Lockyer Valley, Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, Southern Downs and Western Downs council areas.
SQCT found that more than one-third of visitors to the South Burnett during October came from Brisbane, Moreton Bay and Toowoomba (37.54 per cent).
A further 12 per cent came from the Fraser and Sunshine coasts, with the balance travelling from other places.
About 30 per cent of all visitors travelled to Kingaroy, and almost the same number visited Nanango or South Nanango.
Slightly less (about 13 per cent) visited Murgon or Blackbutt.
SQCT gathered the data from online booking sites Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Airbnb and Vrbo.
Industry analysts IBISWorld rate Booking.com and Airbnb as the second and third biggest online accommodation booking sites in Australia.
The SQCT figures are mirrored in the South Burnett Regional Council’s own booking data for its Lake Boondooma and Yallakool tourist parks.
At the November 11 Executive and Community Standing Committee meeting, Cr Kathy Duff reported October occupancy rates at both dams had risen by between 60 and 100 per cent compared with the same month last year.
Cr Duff said that during October Lake Boondooma hosted 2149 occupants (compared with 1334 a year ago) and Yallakool 1696 occupants (836).
These occupancy figures were the third month-on-month increase after both dams reopened for accommodation bookings on August 1 following a pandemic lockdown.
- External link: SQC RTO South Burnett Monthly Report – October 2020 (1.6Mb PDF)
