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.

Linking uni’s big ideas with business

The architect behind some of the Coast's most transformative economic development projects has taken on a new challenge with the University of the Sunshine More

Police investigate serious highway crash

Police are investigating a serious crash involving three Sunshine Coast men on the Bruce Highway. Initial enquiries indicate that just before 6.40am, a red Mitsubishi More

New deadline bid for long-running development

An eight-storey mixed-use development approved for a high-profile coastal site is the subject of another time-related application, with documents showing the project remains in More

Police appeal for help to locate girl

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a 14-year-old girl, missing from Palmview since Sunday, July 19. The girl is described as Caucasian, about More

Contract awarded for harbour entrance improvements

A contract has been awarded to progress long-term safety and accessibility at a challenging waterway. The state government has appointed engineering consultancy BMT to undertake More

Trail steeped in history undergoes key works

A popular Sunshine Coast heritage trail has been improved so people can enjoy it for years to come. The Buderim-Palmwoods Heritage Tramway Walk received a 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