100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Forget Bora Bora and Cancun, the Sunshine Coast has emerged as a tourism world-beater

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Motorcyclist in life-threatening condition after crash

A man in his 30s has been taken to hospital in a potentially life-threatening condition following a motorcycle crash at Palmwoods on Friday night. Emergency More

Discount retailer to shut doors despite growing trade

A discount retailer is preparing to close one of its two Sunshine Coast stores after eight years of trading. Silly Solly’s Sunshine Coast franchise owner More

Farewell to ‘Golly’, a cop’s cop and comfort in crisis

Seven months after illness forced him to surrender the job he loved, former Queensland police commissioner Steve "Golly" Gollschewski has died of cancer at More

‘Gone too early’: warrior Steve Irwin’s enduring legacy

Twenty years after Steve Irwin's sudden death, a man who wrestled crocodiles with him for a living still can't talk about it without choking More

Popular trail closed as landowners, council clash

A popular hinterland trail has been closed indefinitely amid a dispute between property owners and the local council over alleged trespassing and access across More

Eight-level development proposed for former medical site

A former medical site in a key CDB location could be redeveloped under plans lodged with Sunshine Coast Council. The site at 72 Duporth Avenue, More

It’s official: the Sunshine Coast is the most loved destination in the world.

The incredible accolade was announced by the Tourism Sentiment Index.

This tracked the sentiment of travellers online across a staggering 1.8 billion conversation and content pieces in 2021 to determine how people felt about destinations around the world.

Queensland dominated the top 100, with the Sunshine Coast no.1, followed by Whitsundays in second, Noosa at no. 5 and Cairns at no. 9.

Udaipur in India ranked 3rd, French Polynesia’s Bora Bora fourth, Nice (France) 6th, Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) 7th, Cancun (Mexico) 8th and Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) 10th.

The complete list of the world’s most loved destinations as outlined by the Tourism Sentiment Index can be viewed at: http://www.sentiment-index.com/most-loved

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said the announcement was amazing news given this survey was based on worldwide word-of-mouth sentiment.

The stunning Glass House Mountains as seen from Maleny. Picture: Visit Sunshine Coast

“The Tourism Sentiment Index is a measure of a destination’s ability to generate positive word of mouth about its tourism offering, and our number one status reflects how well the Sunshine Coast is delivering on its visitor experience,” Mr Stoeckel said.

“It’s a huge endorsement of the Sunshine Coast as a premium tourist destination,” he said.

“With international borders set to open, the fact that the Sunshine Coast resonates so strongly overseas highlights the potential we have to regrow our visitor numbers.

“We have been using the last year to emphasise the Sunshine Coast’s nature-based experiences, along with our food, health and wellness assets, and this survey shows that our messages have really struck a chord with potential travellers.”

For more on the Sunshine Coast, go to visitsunshinecoast.com.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
This field is hidden when viewing the form
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share