Hervey Bay maintains top ten spot in popular tourist towns

Hervey Bay has maintained its position in the top 10 in the Wotif’s Aussie Town of the Year Awards.

Today the Bay was announced as the seventh most popular spot in the country in the Wotif 2022 Aussie Town of the Year Awards which are based on accommodation quality, affordability and traveller satisfaction based on reviews on Wotif.com.

Hervey Bay was in the same position last year.

“To again be in the finalists, and to maintain our position, is testimony to the hard-work of everyone in the tourism industry in the past year as they contended with lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19,” Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said.

“Just to be nominated is thrilling and a tribute to the dedication of everyone in the tourism industry, as well as residents, who go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome.

“The continued exposure will help immensely as we rebuild.”

Now in its fifth year, the annual Wotif’s Aussie Town of the Year Awards highlight the best of Australia’s diverse destinations, to encourage Aussies to make the most of the year ahead and explore their own backyard, Wotif CEO Wotif Managing Director, Daniel Finch said.

As well as accommodation quality, affordability and traveller satisfaction the awards also recognise destinations that have adapted to meet the changing needs and wants of travellers, Mr Finch said.

“The awards will serve as a great source of inspiration for the 45% of Aussies dreaming of their next domestic adventure.”

Being named in the Australian top 10 and one of only two destinations from Queensland was a tremendous credit to the tourism operators of the region said Fraser Coast Tourism & Events CEO Martin Simons.

“This pristine, natural environment is the perfect place to reboot for a weekend, a week or a month after the journey we have all been on in 2020,” he said.

“There is room to spread out and connect with nature in a way that is impossible in the cities – and we are within easy driving reach of 70 percent of the State’s population.”

The popularity of Hervey Bay as a holiday destination had grown strongly in the past two years, with accommodation occupancy and average daily rate up 20% on the pre-Covid period.

“This is an amazing result, given accommodation in many areas of the state have been doing it very tough for more than two years,” he said. 

“Our position within three to four hour’s driving distance for 70 percent of Queensland population has been a major benefit for the region, particularly during the pandemic when people have been reluctant to travel in large groups on planes or busses.”

Wotif 2022 Aussie Town of the Year Award finalists:

1. Launceston, TAS

2. Caloundra, QLD

3. Tamworth, NSW

4. Yarra Valley, VIC

5. Adelaide Hills, SA

6. Bright, VIC

7. Hervey Bay, QLD

8. Halls Gap, VIC

9. Batemans Bay, NSW

10. Busselton, WA