Tourism and Major Events Minister Kate Jones launched the intense, three-month marketing push in April in partnership with Flight Centre, Virgin Australia and Infinity Holidays.
The marketing push followed the devastating Category 4 storm, included $1 million worth of support to sell Queensland destinations interstate as well as a targeted advertising campaign across TV, radio and social media.
Ms Jones said the results, which coincide with World Tourism Day, showed it was money well spent.
“The number of people who booked a trip to the Whitsundays through Flight Centre in June increased 18 percent while in July there was a massive 44 percent increase,” she said.
“The numbers are just as impressive in terms of room nights with accommodation booked through Infinity Holidays increasing 10 per cent in May and 17 per cent in June.
“In July, that figure grew even further to an increase of 52 per cent year-on-year for the number of room nights booked through Infinity Holidays.”
Flight Centre Head of Customer Experience Darren Wright said the company was impressed by the results.
"Australians are very supportive of our regional tourism markets so we knew it would only be a matter of time before people started flocking back to the beautiful Whitsundays for their holidays,” Mr Wright said.
"These figures show an incredibly strong resurgence for the region and prove that even during winter, you can't beat a Queensland holiday.”
Ms Jones said the digital aspect of the campaign was also strong, with digital advertising recording nearly six million impressions and reaching more than 2.8 million people.
“Advertising on Facebook generated an extra 2.8 million impressions, reaching nearly 850,000 people,” Ms Jones said.
“Following Cyclone Debbie we knew how important it was to send the message that the region was open for business and was still one of the best places in Australia to visit for a holiday.
“The best way to support our tourism industry was to take a holiday at home and encourage others to do the same so they too could enjoy the unique and unrivalled experiences on offer throughout Queensland.
“Tourism in the Whitsundays alone is worth $1.6 billion and supports more than 7000 local jobs which is why it was so important the Palaszczuk Government acted quickly and decisively after Cyclone Debbie.”
Tourism Whitsundays CEO Craig Turner said the results were great news for the Whitsundays.
“These are fantastic results off the back of these marketing campaigns and they really speak for themselves,” Mr Turner said.
“We are very grateful to Minister Kate Jones for her support of the Whitsundays and also our trade partners Flight Centre, Virgin Australia and Infinity Holidays and of course Tourism and Events Queensland, who we work side-by-side with.
“The Whitsundays might have experienced an extreme weather event in March but looking out the window now you would never know.
“Our tourism operators have been absolutely fantastic in the ensuing months, getting out there and doing what they do every day, delivering the same excellent service and experience.
“The Whitsundays offers a premium Great Barrier Reef experience, including being able to see the iconic Heart Reef, as well as island and mainland experiences, so we really do have it all when it comes to holidaying in Australia and it is very heartening to see Australian holidaymakers coming to region and supporting us”.
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