Gold Coast Tourism Bureau general manager Bob Brett said the Gold Coast appeared to be benefitting as Australians cancelled overseas holiday plans and overseas travellers looked for safe havens.

Mr Brett said many Gold Coast operators had enjoyed bumper trade during the school holidays which finished last week.

"Many accommodation houses reported one of their best September school holiday periods ever," he said.

"The 'no vacancy' signs were out in force around the Coast and we are now looking forward to what is shaping up as a buoyant period, what with the Honda Indy 300 at the end of the month, followed by the annual Schoolies Festival and then the Christmas-New Year holidays."

Mr Brett said although the collapse of Ansett had initially hit the Gold Coast's 'bread and butter' domestic tourism sector very hard, interstate holidaymakers still had flocked to the Gold Coast over the school holidays.

"There were families determined to have a holiday who were driving up from Sydney, Melbourne and even Adelaide," he said.

"We have also had excellent numbers from the 'drive' market of south-east Queensland and northern NSW. Because the Gold Coast is within a reasonable drive distance of major population centres, we haven't suffered as much from the Ansett situation as destinations like Cairns."

Mr Brett said Qantas' decision to inject another 6000 seats a week into the Gold Coast route from October 28 would provide a further boost to tourism.

"Qantas' move will increase air capacity into Coolangatta to close to 80 per cent of what it was before Ansett's demise," he said.

"Qantas is also replacing the existing 'no-frills' 717 service with full-service 767 and 737 aircraft, including business class seats. That's excellent news for the Gold Coast."

Mr Brett said the Gold Coast's international tourism sector, which accounts for about 25 per cent of the city's $4 billion tourism industry, had been more severely affected by the terrorist attacks and Ansett collapse.

"For that reason, our international hotels aren't faring as well as the apartment buildings.

"Our Japan and New Zealand markets have been hit very hard because of the withdrawal of air services, especially Ansett's Osaka-Brisbane route," he said.

"The US market has virtually ground to a standstill, as have parts of Europe and the UK. But the Germans are still travelling in very good numbers and Asia also appears to be up which I think can be attributed to the perception that Australia, and the Gold Coast in particular, is seen as a safe destination.

"The international backpacker market also seems largely unaffected by the international situation, again because of Australia's safe reputation and also because backpackers tend to be adventurous travellers."

Mr Brett said the Gold Coast's conference and incentive market had also been impacted by the terrorist-Ansett crisis.

However, he said the Gold Coast could emerge from the crisis in good shape.

"I think that once the Americans and Europeans start travelling again, many will be looking to safe havens like Australia and NZ," he said.

"We are maintaining our profile and presence in these markets because, as we did with Asia after the 1997 economic crisis. Once Asia recovered, we reaped the benefits of maintaining our relationships with the travel trade and keeping the Gold Coast front-of-mind.

�I think more and more Australians will also opt to holiday at home and the Gold Coast will be one of the major beneficiaries of that.�