TOPIC: Something to Think About

A tourism organisation says some parts of outback Queensland are enjoying their best visitor numbers in decades.

There was concern earlier this year that the region's severe drought might deter grey nomads and holiday-makers.

However, Peter Homan from the Outback Queensland Tourism Association said figures so far for the winter tourist season were up and the July school holidays saw even more visitors head west.

"Numbers up until June were right up, by about 7 per cent on last year, and we have anecdotal evidence right across the board that the numbers have been the best ever maybe for 25 years," he said.

"I know Jane [Morgan] down at the Cosmos Centre [in Charleville], she has said she has never had a year like it, 7 per cent is a huge increase.

"Overall Queensland has been losing market share to the two southern states for the last couple of years.

"We get about 400,000 visitors a year to the total outback in Queensland, so ... you put 7 per cent on 400,000 and there is another 28,000 people coming out and it makes a huge difference to the economy out here.

"But we think overall when the season starts to slow down, when we go back and look at the figures, 7 per cent might be a very conservative figure for the whole of the tourism season."

Interesting as the weather hasn't been that great (in comparison with the last 2 years) as I can vouch for.