FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Survey Confirms Gold Coast Airport Marathon Vital To Sports Tourism

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is going from strength to strength as a
major tourism drawcard with the popular Queensland event receiving an
overwhelming tick of approval through an online poll of 3100 participants
of this year's marathon.

This month's awarding of the QSport 2013 Queensland Sport Event at the
Queensland Sport Awards, cementing the marathon's international
credentials, its value as a sports tourism driver was further highlighted
with today's release of positive participant survey figures.

The results show close to three-quarters of visiting participants are
likely to visit the Gold Coast for a holiday in the next three years based
on their positive experience in the event.

And two-thirds of the 27,675 runners and walkers made the decision to
participate before entries opened.

"Our 2013 participants made some very loud noises about what the Gold Coast
Airport Marathon means to them and its contribution to the Gold Coast and
Queensland's tourism industry," said Events Management Queensland General
Manager Cameron Hart.

"For instance, 77 per cent believe the event makes a positive contribution
to the Gold Coast's image, 52 per cent walked or swam at the beach over the
weekend and 51 per cent rated the Gold Coast crowd support excellent.

"And the event boosted the Gold Coast accommodation and hospitality sectors
with only 15 per cent of the respondents indicating they stayed at the
house of a friend or family member," he said.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events Jann Stuckey welcomed the survey
results saying they provided an excellent insight into the marathon
experience for visitors.

"These results reinforce the Gold Coast Airport Marathon's incredible
success in providing participants with a spectacular winter sporting
experience in Queensland's 'Famous for Fun' destination," said Minister
Stuckey.

"The event attracts significant visitation to our region with strong
participation from Japan. We are expecting a big showing from Japan next
year thanks to the outstanding performances at this year's event by Yuki
Kawauchi and Yukiko Akaba.

"74 per cent of interstate and overseas participants said they were likely
to book a Gold Coast holiday in the next three years, testament to the
lasting influence of the marathon in showcasing the region as a premier
events and holiday destination.

"The Queensland Government is proud to support signature events like the
Gold Coast Airport Marathon as part of our commitment to double overnight
visitor expenditure from $15 billion to $30 billion by 2020."

Other interesting results from the survey include:

78.8% ranked 'completing a personal challenge' as the most important reason
for entering the Gold Coast Airport Marathon;

- 43.5% ran by themselves;
- 33.3% knew about the event through a friend or family member;
- 32.7% had three or more family members or friends watch them run;
- 64.1% achieved a personal best time in the race they participated in.

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is a three-time Queensland Tourism Award
winner, a member of the Queensland Tourism Awards Hall of Fame and, earlier
this year, took out the Spirit of the Gold Coast gong at the Gold Coast
Media Awards.

It has also been granted a prestigious IAAF Bronze Label – the first
Australian marathon to achieve such a distinction.

"We're already well down the track with the planning of our 5-6 July 2014
event and we look forward to building once again on the Gold Coast Airport
Marathon's great national and international reputation," Mr Hart said.

"Our new website www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au will also be launched later
this month," he said.

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