Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival - Tickets on sale

The Clipper 2017-18 Race crew presented keys to Whitsundays as part of the 2018 carnival © Riptide Creative

The Whitsundays is set to come alive with festivities and fun when the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race returns to the Heart of The Great Barrier Reef in January 2020.

The Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival will be a week-long celebration of exciting events and activities from January 11 to 18 showcasing the incredible beauty of The Whitsundays and welcoming the guest Clipper fleet.

Tourism Whitsundays CEO Tash Wheeler believes the 2020 Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival will be a huge drawcard for visitation to the region.

"Following the success of the inaugural Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival in 2018, our region was again named as a host port for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 2020. Given the great array of events on offer through the Carnival, we expect to see a spike in visitation numbers. We expect tickets to events like the White on Whitehaven by Fish D'vine will book out fast so don't miss out and visit www.whitsundayclipperrace.com.au"

"The week long Carnival will give the Clipper race participants a warm Whitsundays welcome, as well as create a buzz throughout the entire region where we expect to draw people here from not just the regional market but interstate as well."

A raft of events has been organised right across the region, including a free Community Welcome Event in Airlie Beach town centre, the return of the iconic White on Whitehaven by Fish D'vine and the Rodeo by the Reef in Bowen are amongst some of the key event.

Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox said he was excited that Council had again jumped on board as a major sponsor for an event which puts our region firmly on the world yachting stage.

"Our region went into party mode during the Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival in 2018 so I am looking forward to a ripper start to 2020 as we again welcome the international fleet.

"We are the Heart of Sailing, the Heart of Great Barrier Reef and the Heart of Fun, so there is no better place to be than the Whitsundays next January."

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is a unique event, which sees seasoned skippers partnered with novice crews on an epic 40,000 nautical mile adventure. The Whitsundays will host the 12 participating yachts, their skippers and international crews and supporters as the final stop of the Australian leg of the race.