The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, has congratulated tourism businesses in Caloundra for achieving one of the highest satisfaction ratings from visitors compared with other selected destinations across Australia.
The Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report from Tourism Research Australia put Caloundra in the top ten (seventh) out of 62 destinations across Australia for visitor satisfaction. In fact Queensland's Sunshine Coast has four of the top ten destinations in Australia for visitor satisfaction. The reports are being progressively rolled out across Australia. In a survey conducted in May and June 2006, almost 60 per cent of visitors to Caloundra said they were very satisfied with their visit.
The research stated visitors were particularly impressed by the friendly, helpful and hospitable staff and friendly locals. They were happy with Caloundra's tourism information services, shopping, food and wine, hotels and motels, roads and tours.
Minister Ferguson said, "Through the Australian Government's National Long-Term Tourism Strategy we are going to continue our marketing campaigns and also work with industry and state and territory governments on supply side issues to deliver even better visitor satisfaction results. That means focussing on product quality and accreditation, building a skilled and innovative workforce, investing in infrastructure, and making the most of our natural competitive advantages such as our landscapes and indigenous and cultural heritage.
"Customer satisfaction is at the heart of a successful tourism destination. For many regional communities such as Caloundra, tourism is vital to the local economy. That's why Caloundra is promoted via the Australian Government's Tourism Australia website which is viewed by more than 1,000,000 visitors a year.
"Australians need to be reminded of the beauty of an Australian holiday especially with long weekends coming up. Tourism Australia and the Australian Government's "No Leave No Life" campaign encourages Australians to use their 123 million days of accumulated annual leave worth $33 billion and take a break at home. For Caloundra that could mean spending a day with the family at one of the area's 10 patrolled beaches, taking in the breathtaking peaks of the Glass House Mountains or taking a walk through local rainforests or one of the nearby national parks," he said.
The Visitor Profile and Satisfaction (VPS) Program is part of the Destination Visitor Survey Program (DVS) run by the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. Since 2006 about 70 VPS projects have been completed in Australian regional tourist destinations.
The Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Reports can be obtained at http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/tra/regional/destinations/Pages/default.aspx.