10 minute read
Tourism Report
Regional centres are on the move
By Grantlee Kieza, Industry Reporter
There is no better time to see the Australian outback.
Broken Hill, for instance, is recording great visitor numbers despite COVID.
Recent rains have the Menindee Lakes bursting with life, the area is lush and green, and the mighty rivers are flowing.
Advertising campaigns promoting local tourism are working, though regional centres around Australia are faring much better than the cities.
Michael Johnson, the CEO of Tourism Accommodation Australia, said regional centres “in close proximity to the CBD, within that three-four hour radius – they’ve been doing extremely well”.
“If you use Sydney as an example the areas such as Orange, Mudgee, Dubbo, the Blue Mountains – the Hunter Valley, Port Stephens are doing well.
“Somewhere like Byron Bay is also doing extremely well and forward bookings are very strong.
“But an area such as Merimbula, which is normally fed by towns such as Wagga and heavily serviced by Victoria – they’re not doing that well.”
Mr Johnson said CBDs had been “doing good numbers on weekends” but very little business on weekdays.
“Closed borders are having a huge impact,” he said.
“The biggest driver for Sydney tourism is Victoria but it’s not happening now. Queensland needs to have its borders open before it takes off and it is also heavily dependent on international tourism.”
Dean Long, the CEO of the Accommodation Association of Australia, said regional properties surrounded by good leisure experiences were having “an absolute renaissance probably across four days of the week, definitely two.
“There has been very good movement on the weekend shoulders, Thursday, Friday and Monday, Tuesday. If you’re in driving distance from a capital city you’re doing well and the tourism campaigns are working. “The markets that are relying on international tourism are struggling, though – the capital cities, the Gold Coast, tropical Queensland.
“Without borders being open those markets are finding it very challenging.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen told Resort News that summer was traditionally when international visitors flocked to the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef destination to explore the world’s oldest rainforest and most diverse reef system.
He said: “With international borders closed it is the perfect opportunity for Australians to discover what they have been missing out on.
“The Great Barrier Reef is calm and visibility is great providing optimum conditions to see the marine life which becomes much more active after the November coral spawning with turtles arriving from around the world to nest. “The early summer rains rejuvenate the Wet Tropics rainforest and top up the creeks and rivers so the waterfalls and swimming holes are spectacular.
“This means activities like white water rafting, tubing and canyoning are at their peak. The wildlife is more active as they forage for rainforest fruits and look for a mate.
“It is also the time when you can pluck luscious mangoes straight from the tree or try them in a cocktail.
“So many Australians head overseas to experience summer in the tropics but this year they can find out why people – and turtles – from around the world visit Cairns and Great Barrier Reef in summer.
“There are plenty of packages and deals being rolled out … to entice visitors to Summer Great and Leave Greater.”
Sunshine Coast’s natural authenticity showcased in new ‘For Real’ destination campaign
Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is showcasing its renowned natural attributes in a new destination marketing campaign launched today called ‘For Real’. It is all about the real experiences, real culture, real people, and real nature that makes the Sunshine Coast unique.
The campaign takes on a new relevance following the pandemic, with extensive research highlighting travellers’ desires for nature-based experiences – something the Sunshine Coast offers in spades.
Phase one of the campaign showcases the Sunshine Coast in ‘Real Time’ and will be rolled out through social media advertising and digital billboards.
Ten-second videos will show quintessential Sunshine Coast experiences and activities that can be enjoyed at the exact time the traveller sees them, giving them an excuse to dream for a few seconds and realise what they are missing out on by not being on the Sunshine Coast.
Visit Sunshine Coast partnered with Brisbane-based agency, BCM, to develop the campaign. They have extensive experience developing media and creative ideas in the destination marketing and
Chris Milligan (Wotif), Craig Davidson (VSC), Dan Hart (Sunreef Mooloolaba) and David Taylor (TreeTop Challenge)
tourism category, working with clients such as Flight Centre, Emirates Airlines and Tourism and Events Queensland.
Visit Sunshine Coast (VSC) Interim CEO Craig Davidson said the new campaign would share the unforgettable experiences visitors can have on the Sunshine Coast, while supporting the region’s tourism industry as it moves towards recovery.
“Whether its swimming with humpback whales as they migrate their way up north with Sunreef Mooloolaba or taking on one of Australia’s highest ropes courses at the TreeTop Challenge, the Sunshine Coast offers tremendous authenticity.
“It is where the natural environment meets innovative and respectful thinking – and our people are the crucial ingredient that makes the Sunshine Coast such an attractive destination for all markets.
“Undoubtedly the Sunshine Coast has had a reputation for its premium beach and naturebased environment, and today there is even greater desire for uncrowded beaches, wideopen spaces and a genuine respect for nature, which is reflected in this campaign.
“We are not about mass tourism, but rather emphasising our incredibly diverse geography and range of attractions.”
Phase one of the new For Real campaign will target Queensland’s drive market. VSC has partnered with booking agents Wotif.com and Experience Oz for the campaign to further drive bookings to Sunshine Coast accommodation providers and attractions.
Mr Davidson said: “Importantly the campaign will include a number of ‘real deals’ – including mid-week specials – that will help bolster bookings as we move out of the school holiday period in to what is traditionally a quieter time for Sunshine Coast tourism.
“The campaign will evolve as Queensland opens up further to interstate travellers. Already we have seen outstanding results from the launch of new direct air services from Cairns and the resumption of flights from Adelaide, but clearly many of our operators have suffered as a result of the loss of key markets such as NSW, Victoria and New Zealand.
“Fortunately, we switched very early to targeting the local drive market – with considerable success – but the launch of this new campaign signals the start of a much wider promotional effort.”
The campaign launch came days after VSC sent a message in the sand at Coolum Beach to travellers on board the soldout Qantas Great Southern Land scenic flight of Australia, encouraging them to start planning their next Sunshine Coast escape – For Real.
Destination Gold Coast pulls out all the stops to aid recovery
Popular Gold Coast tourist destinations have suffered more than most this year but with restrictions easing and new Destination Gold Coast marketing campaigns, alongside industry partnerships things are on the up...
The Gold Coast is more than ready to welcome holidaymakers back and look forward to the economic boost that will bring.
Destination Gold Coast Chairman, Paul Donovan told us that improvements have already been noted. He said: “Anecdotally, the September school holidays saw a spike in foot traffic to the Gold Coast and we are hopeful that visitation continues to grow as we dial-up our marketing presence interstate. “In October, Destination Gold Coast launched its first-ever $1 million local area marketing campaign, ‘Play Money for Gold Coasters’ in partnership with prominent booking platform Experience Oz. Nicola Scurr, Tourism Manager, from Gladstone Area Promotion and Development told us: “Our operators on the Discovery Coast (Agnes Water/1770) have been seeing a great increase in visitation since the June/July school holidays. School holiday periods were nearly at capacity and they are still looking very strong over During the 2019/2020 financial year, the Mackay cent for visitor expenditure.
“We saw Gold Coasters waste no time in snapping up discounted experiences to act as backyard tourists, and the allotted 10,000 digital promocodes sold out within 35 hours of being released.
“The local initiative highlighted the region’s economy.
Gold Coast’s strong community appetite to stimulate bookings for ailing attractions and operators hardest hit as a result of COVID-19 setbacks and border closures.
“Destination Gold Coast is now set to launch a multi-million dollar tourism push ahead of summer to leverage proposed border reopenings and drive visitation from key domestic markets.
“Marketing activity will focus on converting demand and inspiration to offer a much-needed boost for Gold Coast tourism.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the Gold Coast has never been so ready to welcome visitors to the city.
He said: “We are open for business and as the country continues to open up, we hope our tourism operators
Mackay tourism sector is a strong performer
The strength of Mackay’s inter-regional travel is highlighted by data from the recent National Visitor Survey (NVS), which shows that despite COVID-19 restrictions, the Mackay Region remains a popular travel destination.
Region welcomed one million domestic visitors who injected $438.6 million into the local economy and recorded threeyear trend increases of 6.1 per cent for visitation and 4.9 per
Driving tourism’s growth throughout The Mackay Region has been corporate travel demonstrating the strength and resilience of enjoy a bumper summer.” period. “We are seeing a lot of
Mackay Tourism Chief Executive Officer Tas Webber said it was pleasing that the region managed to maintain visitation during the pandemic.
He said: “Whilst COVID-19 has foreseen very tough economic conditions, most industries within the Mackay Region have continued to move forward and employ staff.
“COVID-19 has unquestionably been the most difficult challenge for tourism to overcome. Mackay’s tourism industry, and indeed the region’s economy, is very fortunate to continue to grow during this pandemic.”
“As we recover from COVID-19, Mackay is well positioned to attract more visitors, generate greater investment, create local jobs and support livability for our community.”
The Queensland Government also intends to deliver an investment of close to $1 million to deliver a major tourism attraction in Mackay as part of the state’s economic recovery strategy, it announced a partnership with Mackay-based cruise company Pure Escape to introduce a new full-day tour to nearby Cockermouth Island in the South Cumberland islands group.
Tas Webber said Pure Escape represented an exciting opportunity to add to Mackay’s flourishing tourism industry: “The Mackay Region is continuing its rise as a tourism destination, with over a million visitors a year seeking out our unique nature based experiences. The Pure Escape tour will build upon Mackay’s tourism appeal and further strengthen the economic recovery of our industry.
“Investing in the spectacular islands and reefs of the South Cumberland island group is a significant win our industry, our economy and the Mackay community. Tours and access to the islands off Mackay has long been missed by visitors and locals alike. It is very reassuring therefore, to see investment
The sentiment in the Gladstone region is “relatively positive”
the Christmas/New Year holiday starting to be delivered.”
first-time visitors to the region, which is fantastic, and overall, their comments and reviews have been very positive. Our islands are also seeing solid visitation. With Heron Island running at COVID capacity over the September school holidays and already nearly fully booked over Christmas/New Year.”
Wilson Island is also becoming very popular with great forward bookings over the next three months. In Gladstone the visitation is increasing, with a lot of operators noticing more leisure travellers (opposed to corporate) however, we are still working our way back to pre COVID numbers, as the corporate travellers are now starting to return.
“It is great to see so many travellers within Queensland, we just hope this endures so we can continue to showcase our patch of paradise on the Southern Great Barrier Reef!”
