“Spring Break Whitsundays” is the brainchild of events company You’re Welcome Pty Ltd and will see more than 1,000 university students visiting the Whitsundays on a five-day break during their spring vacation.
The model has been trialled elsewhere – including a pilot program in Airlie Beach last year to test the water – and is expected to deliver significant economic benefits to the region.
Students will purchase complete packages including accommodation, food and beverage, tours and activities, with an emphasis on providing a safe and fun environment for the participants. There is also live entertainment and themed parties.
Tourism Whitsundays CEO Craig Turner said the concept had excellent long-term potential for the region with organisers keen to work alongside Tourism Whitsundays, Whitsunday Regional Council, accommodation and tour providers, to deliver a sustainable event that provided benefits to everybody.
“There are currently more than one million university students studying on the east coast of Australia and if we can capture even a small percentage of these with this new event, it will mean a significant economic boost to the region for that week, not just in 2017 but in years to come as well,” he said.
“Spring Break Australia is intent on creating a long-term, sustainable event that delivers financial benefits to everyone concerned. Not only will we benefit from the Spring Break Whitsundays event every year but the university students, once bitten by the Whitsundays bug, will potentially return later on in life when they are married with children.
“Last year’s pilot program showed that the vast majority of students were previously unaware of the Whitsundays’ charms, so this is a fantastic opportunity for us to market our region to a new segment and stop them from going overseas for their break.
“Whilst September is a busy period for us, this new initiative will perfectly complement the more traditional family and ‘Grey Nomad’ markets, with the students staying in backpacker style accommodation.”
Ryan Aitchison from Spring Break Australia, said the company had a long-term plan for the “Spring Break Whitsundays” event and the key to maintaining harmonious growth into the future would be the success of the local businesses.
“We have spent the last two years planning and implementing an event that delivers an unrivalled experience for participants, which we hope will become an entrenched part of the travel landscape for students on Australia’s east coast.
“Importantly, we’re committed to delivering an event that facilitates a significant financial success story for the Airlie Beach community.”
The concept of ‘Spring Break’ originated in the USA, where university students spend their spring vacations in a warm environment such as Fort Lauderdale in Florida and, more recently, Mexico.
Tourism Whitsundays invites local tourism operators that would like to be involved with this exciting new event to please call TW on (07) 4948 5900.
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