Mr Thorburn said international and state closures had propelled the region as a Queensland hotspot.
“A lot of people had only just passed on the area, never bothering to stop because they didn’t see Stanthorpe as a destination,” she said.
“We’re getting a lot more repeat visitors now, who enjoyed it and are coming back and recommending it to friends.
“We’re being seen as a destination rather than a transit stop.”
Digital advertising was also allowing the entire world to see what the Southern Downs could offer.
With one of the first strong sunflowers crops in two year, Warwick Visitor Information Centre fielded more than 1200 sunflower queries in December and January alone.