Douglas is seeing a boom in tourist numbers thanks to the start of school holidays, with one hotel reporting its best occupancy rates since the Global Financial Crisis. 

The July school holidays are typically aligned with the start of the peak tourist season.

Sea Temple Port Douglas general manager Kelvin Dodt said the hotel was experiencing its best season since the GFC.

“Our occupancy rate for the first two weeks of July looks to be about 96 per cent,” Mr Dodt said. ‘

“We’re really travelling very well - it’s our best July period so far post-GFC, I would say.”

Mr Dodt said visitation rates from the larger southern cities was recovering, fuelling the increased occupancy levels.

“We’re seeing a resurgence of the southern market, mainly Sydney and Melbourne,” he said. 

“There’s a lot of families and children on the school holidays.”

New Zealand couple Mary and Jonothan brought their kids Edward and Madeleine with them to Port Douglas on the recommendation of friends, escaping the chilly Auckland winter. 

“These are the kids’ school winter school holidays,” Mary said. 

“We decided we’d want to go to the tropical North and we’re having a great time so far.”

Madeleine agreed.

“It’s amazing,” she said. 

Mr Dodt said all of Port Douglas was seeing increased visitor numbers for the period. 

“It seems that this positive trend is growing all across town,” he said. 

“Even driving around town and night and seeing the restaurants - they’re all packed, you’d have to fight to get a table.”