Holiday makers will be the real winners this winter as Queensland tourism operators work to get back on their feet.

Tourism officials are hoping huge savings will bring people back to the sunshine state.

Benjamin Leming has the story.

TRANSCRIPT.

Blue skies and golden beaches, images like this are a long way from the devastation broadcast around the world in January.

Tourism Queensland says the message that needs repeating is that the sunshine state is back in business.

Ben Southall, Tourism Queensland: “The roads are open, the businesses are running and the people can come back and enjoy themselves in the state.”

A tourism and leisure conference on the Gold Coast has heard just how operators are trying to bring people back through the turnstiles.

New attractions and cheaper fees are some of the incentives.

Tony Lines, President of AALARA: Just trying to keep the products fresh to ensure people want to come back and that’s very important for us, and just to make sure there’s a reason for them to visit us again.”

Like many theme park rides, the Queensland tourism industry has had its ups and downs. Experts put it down to a combination of a strong Australian dollar and a summer of natural disasters.

Marketing campaigns aren’t just being directed at Australia though.

Ben Southall use to have the best job in the world, now his parents have arrived from the UK to see for themselves just what all the fuss was about.

Margaret and Duncan, Ben Southall’s Parents: “We stepped on the plane, we were just getting in our seats and across the full width of the centre of the plane was a Queensland Tourism poster. I said ‘we’re on; our journey starts”

But the journey for tourism operators is expected to take a lot longer.

For now though, Tourism Queensland hopes everyone knows we are.

Benjamin Leming, QUT News.