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.

Urgency grows for major island bridge

The state government has signalled urgency around building a proposed large-scale bridge between the mainland and an increasingly popular island. A referral to the federal More

Design revealed for billion-dollar rail upgrade

Detailed designs have been released for a major rail upgrade, including track duplication, on the Sunshine Coast. The Department of Transport and Main Roads unveiled More

Calls for reform as GP bulk billing falls short

Sunshine Coast residents still face limited bulk billing GP options, despite major federal funding aimed at boosting access to free medical care. Government-funded Health Direct More

Council takes high-tech approach to weed battle

Drones, artificial intelligence and environmental DNA are among the tools being used by Sunshine Coast Council in a fight against invasive weeds. The CSIRO estimated, More

Researchers and distillers blend nature, sound and story

A local collaboration is turning one of the Sunshine Coast’s biggest environmental stories into something people can actually sip, hear and experience. The region’s UNESCO-recognised More

Tiny newcomers create a splash

Two endangered eagle ray pups are already stealing attention after making their public debut, with the tiny brothers quickly becoming known for their unique 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