QUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh has urged the tourism industry to spruik the flood and cyclone ravaged state as the next destination for people planning a holiday.
Ms Bligh delivered a passionate speech for a benefit lunch in Sydney today attended by top Australian tourism operators and other corporate entities.
The Premier encapsulated the high and the low points of the floods and Cyclone Yasi, and how Queenslanders responded to the devastation with humour and determination.
"And it's those sorts of stories that give you an incredible sense of hope when you see the resilience, the endurance and the incredible strength of the Australian people," Ms Bligh told a gathering of about 200 people.
She reminded the audience that 70 per cent of Queensland's land mass and 60 per cent of its population was affected to some degree by the natural disasters.
She also listed top tourist destinations in Queensland that were marginally affected or not at all, such as Cairns and the Whitsundays.
Queensland depends on its tourism business, she said, and urged the attendees to get the word out.
"The tourism industry in Queensland matters not only to us but to the national economy," Ms Bligh said.
"So we ask you to tell your friends, your clients, your customers, we'd love to see them for a holiday."
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