As the majority of regions in Queensland battle vacancy rates of less than 1 per cent and the 2032 Olympic Games pending, tourism organisations and a regional council are turning their attention to abandoned homes, hotels and commercial buildings.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, 192,393 properties were vacant on Census night in 2021, which equated to 8.7 per cent of the state's total dwellings.

In the central Queensland city of Rockhampton, the seven-storey Plaza Hotel with 66 rooms has been closed on and off for the past decade.

Rockhampton Regional Council's Grant Mathers said it was frustrating that the rooms were going to waste.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't send a good message at all. Everyone is dealing with homelessness, people sleeping in the parks and on the st

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