Tassie to lead tourism revival
BRIGHTON’S Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Coles Bay and Rob Pennicott’s “seafood on a boat” experience at Bruny Island will be splashed across billboards in Britain and the United States in a bid to draw tourists back to Tasmania.
It comes as new travel figures reveal Australia has lost hundreds of thousands of airline bookings in just 11 weeks amid the coronavirus outbreak and following horror bushfires across three states.
The revamped tourism campaign will launch in the US and UK next week, with a focus on how safe Australia is as a destination, and all of the experiences still available after the fires.
Meanwhile, Premier Peter Gutwein and fellow tourism ministers will hold talks in Canberra today as the Federal Government finalises a plan to stimulate the economy amid fears of a looming downturn.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the downturn would likely be more severe than anything previously seen in modern times.
It would take time and “sustained effort” for the sector to recover, but there were still opportunities to target markets such as the UK and US.
“In these tough times, some consumers will turn to countries with reputations like ours for offering fun times in a safe environment, such as Tasmanian destinations famous for offering the best of nature, relaxation and indulgence,” Minister Birmingham said.
“We’re putting Tasmanian tourism hot spots such as Cradle Mountain and Coles Bay front and centre in any active campaigns to get those tourists we can into those businesses who rely on them.”
The campaign will include billboards in airports, stadiums, on roadsides and buses, or in the London underground and Manchester Loop. Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, LA and Seattle will be targeted in the US.
The renewed focus on Britain and the US comes as Tourism Australia figures show bookings from Britain are down 21 per cent on this time last year, down 34 per cent from the United States, 22 per cent from Japan, and 49 per cent from India.