Editing Gold Coast, Queensland (section)

===Tourism===
[[File:Palazzo Versace Gold Coast, Australia.jpg|thumb|The [[hospitality]] industry contributes significantly to the Gold Coast's economy. The [[Palazzo Versace Australia|Palazzo Versace]] is a notable hotel on [[Main Beach, Queensland|Main Beach]].]]
The Gold Coast is the most popular tourist destination in Queensland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sdi.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v3/guis/templates/content/gui_cue_cntnhtml.cfm?id=17935 |title=Key Gold Coast Industries Report |publisher=Queensland Government |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013210849/http://sdi.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v3/guis/templates/content/gui_cue_cntnhtml.cfm?id=17935 |archive-date=13 October 2007  }}</ref> It is Australia's 5th most visited destination by international tourists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourismaustralia.com/content/Research/Factsheets/TopTen_Regions_Dec2006.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080307161815/http://www.tourismaustralia.com/content/Research/Factsheets/TopTen_Regions_Dec2006.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 March 2008 |title=International Market Tourism Facts |publisher=Tourism Australia  }}</ref> Around 10 million tourists visit the Gold Coast area every year consisting of 849,114 international visitors, 3,468,000 domestic overnight visitors and 5,366,000 daytrip visitors. Tourism is the region's biggest industry,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitgoldcoast.com/ |title=Gold Coast, Famous for Fun – Official Gold Coast Holidays Guide in Queensland, Australia|work=VisitGoldCoast.com|date=18 November 2012|access-date=16 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214075551/http://www.visitgoldcoast.com/|archive-date=14 December 2012 }}</ref> directly contributing more than $4.4&nbsp;billion into the city economy every year and directly accounting for one in four jobs in the city<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210814160742/http://www.saltwaterestate.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=9 Salt Water Estate]</ref> There are approximately 65,000 beds, {{convert|60|km|mi}} of beach, {{convert|600|km|mi}} of canal, 100,000 hectares of nature reserve, 500 restaurants, 40 golf courses and five major theme parks in the city.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

[[Gold Coast Airport]] provides connection across Australia and internationally with airlines including [[Flyscoot]], [[Jetstar]], [[Qantas]], [[Air New Zealand]], [[Virgin Australia]] and [[Airasia X]]. [[Brisbane Airport]] is less than one hour from the centre of Gold Coast, and [[Airport railway line, Brisbane|direct trains]] operate.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}[[File:Sea World Entrance-1and (4505997395).jpg|thumb|[[Sea World (Australia)|Sea World]], one of many theme parks on the Gold Coast]]
Gold Coast City has over 13,000 available guest rooms contributing over $335&nbsp;million to the local economy each year. Accommodation options available range from [[hostel]]s to five star resorts and hotels. Tourist attractions include surf beaches, and theme parks including [[Dreamworld (Australian theme park)|Dreamworld]], [[Sea World (Australia)|Sea World]], [[Wet'n'Wild Water World]], [[Warner Bros. Movie World]], [[WhiteWater World]], [[Topgolf]], [[Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[David Fleay Wildlife Park]], Australian Outback Spectacular, and Paradise Country.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
[[File:Q1 seen from the Isle of Capri, Queensland, 2023, 02 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Q1 (building)|Q1]], the [[List of tallest buildings in Australia|tallest building]] in Australia and the [[List of tallest residential buildings in the world|world's tallest residential building]] upon completion in 2005 (currently the [[List of tallest residential buildings|seventeenth tallest]])]]
Since the opening of what was then the world's highest residential tower in 2005 (it is now the 17th highest), the [[Q1 (building)|Q1 building]] has been a destination for tourists and locals alike. It is the second highest public vantage point in the [[southern hemisphere]] after the [[Eureka Tower]] in Melbourne. The observation deck at level 77 is the highest of its kind in [[Queensland]] and offers views in all directions, from [[Brisbane]] to [[Byron Bay, New South Wales|Byron Bay]]. It towers over the [[Surfers Paradise]] skyline, with the observation deck {{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=off}} high, and the spire extending nearly another hundred metres up. In total, the Q1 is {{convert|322.5|m|ft|abbr=off}} high, making it the [[list of tallest buildings in Australia|tallest building in Australia]]. Another famous tourist attraction are the [[Surfers Paradise Meter Maids]], instituted in 1965 to put a positive spin on new parking regulations. To avoid tickets being issued for expired parking, the Meter Maids dispense coins into the meter and leave a calling card under the windscreen wiper of the vehicle. The Maids are still a part of the Surfers Paradise culture but the scheme is now run by private enterprise.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

[[Chinatown, Gold Coast]], is an integral part of the revitalisation of Southport as an international CBD.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/mobile/business/gold-coast-chinatown-17077.html|title=Gold Coast Chinatown|publisher=Gold Coast City Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105180312/http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/mobile/business/gold-coast-chinatown-17077.html|archive-date=5 January 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=5 January 2018}}</ref>{{clarify|date=January 2018}}