Hamilton Island reports best visitor numbers for six years

Hamilton Island (hamiltonisland.com.au) in Queensland, Australia enjoyed amazing visitor numbers in November 2009, recording the highest number of arrivals in six years.

Visitor figures from the UK & Ireland were up 19% compared to last November, a success that is in part being attributed to Tourism Queensland’s ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign which saw the UK’s Ben Southall win the widely publicised island caretaker role for the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Room nights sold on Hamilton Island for the period July to November were also up 3% on last year, bucking current economic trends.

Other contributing factors include the opening of the new Hamilton Island 18-hole championship golf course in September and the Hamilton Island Yacht Club in November. Meanwhile, Tourism Australia’s annual European Corroboree for the trade was this year hosted on Hamilton Island, providing invaluable insight for agents.

Hamilton Island’s exclusive luxury resort, qualia, also saw a significant increase in their UK & Ireland figures. Room night sales were up 59% in November and an impressive 70% up for the period July to November in total.

Glenn Bourke, CEO of Hamilton Island, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with these record guest numbers which clearly demonstrate that Hamilton Island has a lot to offer. The Best Job in the World campaign has without doubt made a real impact on tourism to the Great Barrier Reef and with a raft of new developments on Hamilton Island we’ve been well placed to take advantage of this.

“Having said that, we won’t be resting on our laurels but will continue with our on-going commitment to making Hamilton Island a world-class holiday destination,” he added.