CIAA Voice: Industry success "Always On" throughout pandemic

Industry success "Always On" throughout pandemic

There is no denying the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on Australian domestic tourism. Border closures and travel restrictions wreaked havoc on both international and domestic markets alike and sent most of the industry into a state of hibernation. While the worst of the pandemic may have passed, lingering fi nancial stress continues to impact many operators who are battling to survive or claw back operational cashfl ow.

To support industry through this unprecedented event, Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) proactively responded to market conditions to keep caravanning and camping ‘front of mind’ to the consumer at all times. Maintaining an "Always On" marketing presence throughout the pandemic not only supported operators at the time but also favourably positioned the caravan and camping sector for a swift rebound when the country opened back up, results of which have been seen through recent tourism numbers.

Camp at Home Heroes, (Easter 2020)

The Easter holiday period is usually a buzz with much excitement as Australians take advantage of the public holiday days to travel for leisure and/or family get-togethers. This is in stark comparison to how the 2020 Easter holiday period played out, where Australians were subject to strict ‘stay at home’ orders and social distancing directions. Conscious of a holiday lockdown, CIAA activated a hasty “Camp at Home Heroes” initiative, designed to encourage campers to reimagine their camping trip at home rather than 'cancelling'. Campers that shared their ‘camp at home’ experience through social media went into a draw to win holiday park vouchers. The initiative was not aimed at immediate market conversion, but rather at keeping consumers connected with the industry to maintain 'stickability' when travel restrictions eased.

Stuart Lamont

CEO, Caravan Industry Association of Australia

Travel Your Road (June to September 2020)

With an estimated media value in excess of $5 million, the "Travel Your Road" campaign, developed in partnership with Tourism Australia, was one of the fi rst signifi cant tourism industry recovery eff orts of the pandemic. Launched in June 2020 across print and digital, the campaign highlighted the benefi ts of domestic road trip holidays and leveraged the absence of international travel by inspiring Australians to explore their own backyard. A wealth of content was incorporated into the campaign and was brought to life through aspirational lifestyle editorials designed to appeal to the identifi ed target audiences. At campaign end, a total digital reach of 10.9 million and print media readership of 6 million was achieved, which resulted in over 32,000 referrals to industry businesses.

Win a Weekender (August to September 2021)

The "Win A Weekender" promotion has run (almost) annually since 2018 and while not specifi cally targeted as a COVID-19 recovery eff ort, it remained valuable as part of CIAA’s "Always On" marketing approach throughout the pandemic. The 2021 promotion ran while major lockdowns were in place for Victoria and New South Wales and at a time when Australia was sitt ing on a record-high level of accrued leave. These factors presented an opportunity to capture new audiences not previously engaged with caravanning and camping product. Over 29 million newspapers in August and September carried camping messaging that positively positioned industry to a captive audience supported by $300,000 worth of caravanning and camping prizes, at a time when family and friends were looking forward to reuniting in the approaching summer and acting on their pent-up demand to travel and explore. This led to over 51 percent increase in total campaign entries from previous years and kept the industry active in the minds of the consumer in the lead-up to state borders reopening.

Road to a Million (June to October 2022)

Ongoing natural disasters on top of the lingering impacts of COVID-19 caused the caravan and camping visitor segment to reduce their trip length and distance travelled, signifi cantly impacting accommodation occupancy and revenue. To address this, a "Road to a Million" consumer stimulus campaign was launched in June 2022 designed to encourage consumers to not just take up travel, but to travel further and for longer periods. Moreover, this objective had to be achieved quickly, since operators particularly in highly desirable but transit locations, were working with depleted funds following two years of lockdowns and travel restrictions and couldn't wait for a summer or holiday infl ux to recoup operational funds. The campaign incentivises Australians to travel by off ering the chance to win $1,000,000 with entries earned by staying in a caravan park and/or renting a recreational vehicle during the promotional period. To encourage dispersal into the regional areas experiencing the greatest decline and who would not normally directly benefi t from such industry stimulus activities; the number of entries per night is multiplied, by up to fi ve, the further a park is from one of the fi ve major capital cities as determined by a zoning system. To date more than 60,000 individual entrants have registered their caravan park stays, representing over 268,000 nights in market. Further, based on a consumer survey; 71 percent of entrants said the campaign will likely infl uence a further booking this year, 34 percent said it infl uenced a winter holiday they otherwise might not have taken, and 19 percent said they booked additional nights as a result of the campaign. Additionally, 20 percent said they travelled further due to the campaign, which was refl ected in ‘distance travelled’ during July having signifi cantly increased compared to pre-pandemic levels, with trips greater than 2,000km now accounting for 27 percent of all trips, versus 19 percent in 2019. All the above marketing initiatives played fundamental roles in ensuring above average activity through and post-COVID relative to other tourism sectors. The tangible success of CIAA’s COVID marketing responses can be seen in the most recent industry fi gures with the June 2022 quarter recording 3.9 million trips and 14.1 million nights: the largest June quarter on record for nights and the second highest for overnight trips.