Between the Hemsworth brothers and golfer Adam Scott visiting the Sunshine Coast, the region has seen a surge in booking searches.
According to Booking.Com, the two destinations visited by the world-famous acting and sporting greats – visited of Rainbow Beach and Maleny respectively – have surged into the fastest-growing Top 10 searched destinations in Australia.
The worldwide attention that accompanied Chris and Liam Hemsworth’s visit to Rainbow Beach, and Adam Scott’s live broadcast of a round of golf at the picturesque Maleny Golf Club, have created a buzz.
Maleny – in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland – hit the headlines when world-champion golfer and Sunshine Coast resident, Adam Scott, used some of his isolation time to play a few games of golf at Maleny Golf Club, including one that he streamed live to his global social media audience. The unheralded club has never been busier.
Rainbow Beach saw the arrival of the Hemsworth brothers and respective families in July, and while they enjoyed a very relaxed and low-key stay, their social media posts against the stunning beach backdrop sent the Booking.com search engine into frenzy. Rob Gough – aka the Ice Man of Rainbow Beach – became an overnight celebrity for serving ‘Thor’ his favourite salted caramel ice cream.
The Booking.com survey revealed the top ten searched destinations in Australia with a search-rank increase of over 100 places in July 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
Commenting on the survey, Luke Wilson, Area Manager for Australia at Booking.com, concluded: “It is heartening to see travellers heading back to iconic coastal QLD and WA destinations for their winter holiday sun fix.”
The Booking.com Top searched destinations with a search rank increase of over 100 places July 2020 v July 2019 are:
- Kalbarri, WA
- Maleny, QLD
- Exmouth, WA
- Mudgee, NSW
- Yallingup, WA
- Geraldton, WA
- Stanthorpe, QLD
- Agnes Water, QLD
- Rainbow Beach, QLD
- Fraser Island, QLD
