We all know it, now it has been confirmed through information gathered in a new study from research company TNS.  Tropical North Queensland tourism has been heavily impacted by a lack of understanding after recent natural disasters.

One in five people who had planned to come to Queensland have cancelled or delayed their trip, but an alarming six out of ten Australians believed our region was impacted by flooding and Cyclone Yasi when it escaped relatively unharmed.

But Jo Farquhar, director of travel research and TNS said some areas had escaped the media glare.

“Areas such as Northern NSW, which were quite hard hit by flooding, have fallen under the radar, while the largely unaffected Tropical North Queensland was identified as affected by 60% of Australians,” she said.

Popular tourist destination of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast have also suffered from misinformation and incorrect perceptions, she explained.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to lure visitors back to Tropical North Queensland, Jetstar are offering discounted airfares for travel between 4 May and 22 June 2011.