Off-season in Coffs? Never heard of it

Coffs Harbour has emerged as a golden child for tourists chasing ‘experiences’ in a national sector facing economic headwinds and uncertainty. 

The newly released Big Red Group report for experience bookings in Autumn/Winter this year singles out Coffs (52.4 per cent growth year-on-year), Young (30.7%) and Orange (116.7%) as the stars of regional NSW. 

That’s despite a backdrop of NSW being down 24.5 per cent overall, and the departure of Bonza and the placement of Rex Airlines into administration during the period – plus lingering cost-of-living pressures and consumers reining in discretionary expenditure. 

“This is a fantastic result for Coffs Harbour and a reflection of the success of the marketing campaigns we have driven,” City of Coffs Harbour General Manager Natalia Cowley said. 

“Our messaging has focussed on destination awareness as many domestic travellers did not know about our walking trails, our tours, our hinterland and our big-ticket events. 

“We had exposure on Sunrise alone four times during that period – and that’s national coverage.” 

Recent data from Tourism Research Australia has identified regional NSW as the country’s most popular domestic travel destination, with domestic overnight visitor numbers reaching 27.1 million and domestic day trippers exceeding 38.9m. 

But fortunes have been mixed for regional tourism in Australia, according to the Big Red Group report. 

“With over 500,000 experiences booked so far this season we can see that visitors to our shores are committed to creating memorable moments, showing a strong preference for ‘stories over stuff’,” Big Red Group CEO David Anderson said. 

“This trend promises to continue as the industry navigates its path to recovery, and we look forward to seeing what the next few months and peak summer season will bring.” 

China, Taiwan, Singapore, India and Korea accounted for the highest volume of international experience travel bookings in Australia in autumn/winter. 

Theme parks remain a diamond for experience-seeking travellers along with cruises, eating out, hot air ballooning and nature, bushwalking and hiking tours. 

Whale watch experiences were up 4.3 per cent year-on-year. 

“Coffs Harbour needs to continue to be smart and innovative in this experience travel market. The City is leading the way with things like the development of a cutting-edge app which unlocks what to see and do in Coffs,” Ms Cowley said. 

 “Our ECO Destination status underscores our commitment to sustainable tourism and our ability to provide exceptional, unique adventure.” 

Photo: Precision Helicopters tour, South Solitary Island at Coffs Harbour.