WHEN you live in a holiday destination, where do you go to escape the stresses of everyday life?

Rockhampton Regional Council is hoping the answer will soon be Central Queensland for many Gold Coast families.

Council is hoping to promote tourism with a quick getaway up north when Jetgo launches flights between Rockhampton and the Gold Coast on September 28.

But it's also hoping to strengthen local business, utilising the Rockhampton to Townsville route to promote a good working relationship between the two cities.

Jetgo's plans to land in Rockhampton were a hot topic among councillors at yesterday's business enterprise committee meeting.

Councillor Neil Fisher said it had taken two years to build the relationship between Rockhampton Airport and Jetgo.

Mayor Margaret Strelow said Jetgo had been measured in its introduction of new services because it wanted to grow the number of flights gradually.

Cr Strelow said the company had taken a risk by investing in Rockhampton while the airline industry on the whole was going through a tough time.

She said if people in the region wanted to see the service continue, they had to back it.

Cr Fisher said a comprehensive study of the airport completed by Airbiz had "clinched the deal" with the airline.

The Jetgo services in Rockhampton will be added to the existing Townsville to Gold Coast route.

Cr Strelow said the challenge for council was to work on making sure Rockhampton was a destination in its own right.