Warwick tourists defy lonely planet advice

Italian traveller Michele Vadori has used his Lonely Planet guide to navigate the world but he put it aside to detour to Warwick yesterday...

The November edition of the traveller's bible made headlines this week with its dismissal of the south-west Queensland town in favour nearby Stanthorpe.

But Mr Vadori, 23,and his companions Alex Simometto and Andrea Altan ignored the international guide's advice to "bypass" Warwick, spending a night there en route to Sydney for Christmas.

 "It seems a very nice place, nice parks, and, yes, we had a nice night," Mr Vadori said. "Sometimes the Lonely Planet offers good advice, sometimes not."

The town has gone on the defensive, citing Tourism Research Australia's latest national visitor survey, showing Warwick is popular among travellers. Figures from the September 2009 quarter put the Darling Downs in the top 20 regions nationally ranked by domestic day visitor spending.

Read the full story at The Warwick Daily News.

Source: brisbanetimes.com.au