by Mat Churchill

In a positive sign for the tourism industry, survey results from Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree show an overall increase in tourist numbers to the area.

40% of survey respondents said that business performance was either somewhat better, or much better than this time last year, while 47% said they were operating at about the same level.

Jess Coleman from Tropical Journey's said their business has seen an increase in tourists, particularly from Victoria. "It seems like the whole state has moved up here due to the cold weather down south." she said.

"We have had an increase in our bookings, but we are also offering more products this year.

"The (high) Australian dollar is hurting us, but we are still seeing a number of visitors from Europe, particularly from Germany and Sweden."

64% of accommodation providers stated that they were operating at a similar level to last year, while a further 21% said their occupancy rates were somewhat better than in 2009.