Press Release

Great Barrier Reef holiday the dying wish of 1 in 3 Aussies: survey

14 Jan 2009

ONE in 3 Australians would like to see the Great Barrier Reef before they die.

The spectacular natural wonder - which is also the star of Tourism Queensland's $150,000 Best Job in the World campaign - came up trumps in the latest survey by leading Australian online travel marketplace, totaltravel.com.

The totaltravel.com survey asked the question: "What Australian icon would you like to visit before you die?" More than 1460 people responded to the survey.

Thirty-two per cent of voters (472 people) chose the Great Barrier Reef as the place they would like to visit most in Australia before they kicked the bucket.

The Reef was recently advertised by Tourism Queensland as the stunning location for the 'World's Best Job', a $150,000 caretaker role on Hamilton Island.

Uluru in Northern Territory -the world's most famous monolith - was the second most popular iconic destination with 21 per cent of the vote (304 people).

The beautiful but fragile Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia received 9 per cent.

And only 1 per cent of Australians would like to see the famous wine-growing region of the Barossa Valley in South Australia before they enter the pearly gates.

Other results were Sydney Harbour/Opera House, NSW (8 per cent), Kakadu National Park, NT (6 per cent), The Great Ocean Road, VIC (5 per cent), War Memorial, ACT (5 per cent), Daintree Rainforest, QLD (5 per cent), Cradle Mountain, TAS (4 per cent), Parliament House, ACT (2 per cent), Broome, WA (1 per cent), and the Snowy Mountains, NSW (1 per cent).

Totaltravel.com global marketing manager Paul Fisher said the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches from Bundaberg to Cape York in Qld, was a deserving winner.

"The Great Barrier Reef is one of the great wonders of the world," he said.

"It is the largest coral system in the world and supports a wide diversity of life.

"Snorkelling or scuba diving there is a truly unforgettable experience." Mr Fisher said Australia had many other amazing tourism attractions and there was no better time to explore the country than right now.

"The effects of the 2008 financial crisis are still being felt and some people do not have a lot of money to spend on holidays," he said.

"Australia is a cheap alternative to overseas destinations. It has some of the world's most spectacular landscapes, a warm climate, a wide variety of attractions to appeal to the whole family and friendly, welcoming locals."

ENDS

Media enquires:
Paul Fisher
Global Marketing Manager
totaltravel.com
Phone +61 (0)2 6680-8755
Mobile 0404 057 367

About totaltravel.com
totaltravel.com was established in 2002 and is Australia’s leading online travel marketplace for travellers and travel suppliers. Travellers can research destinations, read the opinions of other travellers, find travel offers and then deal directly with travel suppliers to save money.