With all eyes on Queensland’s tourism industry this week, the jewel in its crown has been busy preparing for its first wave of return travellers, as showcased in a new playful ‘Preparing For Your Return’ video released today.

Synonymous with the Gold Coast’s fun, laid back atmosphere and its friendly locals, the 60-second video features a series of creative clips from renowned operators as they excitedly prepare to welcome back visitors to Australia’s favourite playground.

The video is a follow-up to the successful ‘Thanks To You, Parents’ instalment released earlier this month – which generated more than 1 million views on YouTube within a week – and spotlights how the family-favourite destination, operators and attractions have been spending their time counting down to showtime.

Making captivating appearances in the aspirational travel teaser are Sea World’s cheeky seals, Bam Bam Bakehouse’s backflipping baristas, Justin Lane’s perfect pizza makers and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s brilliant bird wranglers.

Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said the light-hearted video reflects the quintessential Gold Coast spirit of making the best of the tough times they’ve faced over the past few months.

"With so much discussion around the Gold Coast this week, we wanted to showcase all the incredible things that make us such a favourite family-friendly destination – our beautiful scenery, playful experiences, delicious food and beverages, but also the incredible friendly faces,” Ms Battista said.

“It’s encouraging to see the positive spirit and tenacity of our operators during this challenging time. The creativity and resilience we have seen from locals has been inspiring and will continue to ensure we provide a world-class experience to our visitors as travel restrictions ease.”

The Gold Coast tourism sector is counting down to 12 June, as Queensland moves into stage two restrictions and the industry can start welcoming more drive and intrastate travellers.

Last year, the Gold Coast drew a record 14.2 million visitors, but the COVID-19 travel ban has halted the city’s biggest economic driver in tourism, worth $6 billion per year.

It is estimated that keeping the Queensland border closed until September would cost the Gold Coast an extra $500 million over two months at a minimum.

Ms Battista said while recovery wouldn’t happen overnight, there’s a reason why the Gold Coast is one of the nation’s favourite places to holiday, which coupled with the ability to capture outbound demand before international borders open, would give the industry a much-needed shot in the arm.

“Our time to shine again will come, but in the meantime, we are ready and excited for families to come and play in our incredible backyard.”