The Rockhampton Tourism Strategy is driven by five key pillars - corporate, leisure, events, education and sport. Advance Rockhampton's Tourism unit is playing an active role in tourism planning, and continually working on product development and marketing and promotion of the region within these pillars.
Corporate
Rockhampton is recognised globally as the economic heart of Central Queensland, with high quality services and a prosperous economy built on a reputation as a reliable service hub for the broader region. A healthy pipeline of major projects in planning and under construction, combined with increasing demand for skilled workers, sees an influx of corporate visitors to Rockhampton for work.
Our region supports entrepreneurial and innovative businesses, strategic investment and international exports, in a location which provides the amenities and lifestyle that is the envy of others across the country.
Advance Rockhampton's tourism unit is actively targeting corporate travellers to stay for the weekend, so they may experience all the region has to offer.
Leisure
Full-bull adventures, trophy Barramundi to be caught right in the front of the Rockhampton CBD Riverfront Precinct, world-class mountain bike trails, strong indigenous culture, events to rival those of Australia's big cities, a significant art collection that includes some of Australia's greats, heritage and history, a free zoo, nature day-trips that surround the city, live action rodeo every week, breweries, bars and eateries all over town, and 300 days of sunshine a year, the Rockhampton region is the ultimate destination to stop, see and stay all year round.
A diverse range of accommodation and experiences caters to everyone from nomads to families, blokes weekends to girls getaways - and everything in between. We firmly believe everyone should experience our region, which is why we have also developed an award winning campaign focused on accessible tourism and continue to work with and encourage operators to improve their experiences to cater to all travellers.
Explore Rockhampton is the tourism destination brand behind the Rockhampton region, and is the main pillar of the tourism marketing strategy and provides information on what you can see and do when visiting the Rockhampton region for leisure.
Events
The Rockhampton Region hosts over 70 events annually and attracts major national and international events, including the triennial Beef Australia, Rockynats (from the team behind Summernats), CapriCon and Rockhampton River Festival which catering to a broad range of demographics and interests..
Offering dependable infrastructure, a major regional Australian airport with flights to Brisbane, Mackay, Cairns and soon to be Melbourne, 4.5 star hotels, a stunning Riverside Precinct and picture-perfect backdrops - the Rockhampton region is fast becoming recognised as the perfect place to host a range of community, commercial and business events.
Education
The Rockhampton region boasts extensive educational facilities and outcomes comparable with the best of city institutions. Offering dozens of childcare and kindergarten facilities, 22 primary and 4 state-high schools, 18 private schools and Queensland's only dual sector university, it's also one of the most affordable places in Australia for education.
With access to high-quality education in a variety of subjects, combined with the affordability of living in our region, on-site accommodation, accessibility to some of Queensland's best beaches and a variety of things to see and do in our region, Rockhampton frequently welcomes international students to the region looking to take advantage of our enviable lifestyle and world class educational offerings.
Sport
The Rockhampton region has a proud sporting history, and is home to national, international and Olympic standard sporting facilities that nurture beginners to athletes. We proudly claim to have many national sporting heroes getting their start in this region, and are well equipped to host sporting events in our region.
The Rockhampton region features:
- Browne Park - Home of the CQ Capras Queensland Rugby League team and host of a 2021 NRL Semi-Final
- Kenrick Tucker Velodrome - national standard cycling
- Victoria Park Tennis Centre - 19 international tennis courts plus an additional 5 full-size plexi-pave courts, two of which have international standard lighting
- Rowing course - used by the Australian Rowing team on a regular basis and expected to host Olympic teams in 2032
- Kalka Shades Hockey Fields - the Region hosted the 2019 Oceania Cup, an international field hockey competition and qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.