In Australia, Queensland’s Gold Coast is a long strip of coastline stretching from Southport in the north to Coolangata on the New South Wales border, backed by stunning mountain and rainforest scenery, much of which has national park status.
The coastline is heavily developed, particularly around the core of the destination at Surfer’s Paradise – where significant high-rise developments continue to be constructed.
The Gold Coast is recognized as Australia’s major tourist area, with the largest concentration of bedspaces in the country. Not only is it a significant domestic destination, but it also attracts substantial numbers of international visitors, particularly from Asia. Of course this means that the Gold Coast is vulnerable to fluctuations in the Asian outbound market, initially caused by the currency crisis in 1997–98, but more recently by incidents such as the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the continuing recession in the Japanese economy.
As a destination, the Gold Coast is dependent upon an attractive mix of both natural and man-made attractions. The natural attractions include the area’s subtropical climate, the long clean beaches, the Pacific surf and the hinterland of national parks, rainforest and mountains. The man-made attractions include three of Australia’s largest theme parks – Seaworld, Movieworld and Dreamworld – as well as a major water park. Along the coast itself there are many smaller attractions and innovative products such as the ‘Aquaduck’ tours that utilize amphibious craft for a combination of land and water tours; mini-golf, surf schools and nature-based hinterland trips.
original article from : http://www.englisharticles.info/2011/07/15/the-gold-coast/
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