Tourism pitch hits mark

T OWNSVI L L E E n t e r p r i s e says a tourism campaign to attract more visitors is doing well on social media as one venue operator at Thuringowa claims they always fail to get a mention.

Townsville Enterprise launched the 2018 Townsville North Queensland Events Calendar and Insider’s Guide last month and on Monday released a television commercial as a part of its Discover Why Townsville Shines campaign.

The commercial is being run on Southern Cross Austereo.

Townsville Enterprise tourism and events director Bridget Woods said a preview of the advertisement on their Facebook page scored about 18,000 views and 400 shares since its release on the weekend.

“This is a very good result,” she said.

The events calendar was in- serted in newspapers across Queensland and the Northern Territory, including the Townsville Bulletin, last month.

Steele Hotels and Apartments operator Shaun Steele, who has a pool of 120 units at the Itara and Jacana units at Riverway, said the guide and the commercial focused on the CBD and Magnetic Island, neglecting Riverway and all areas west of Castle Hill.

He said the properties he managed attracted 68,000 people to the city last year but that he chose not to join Townsville Enterprise because he got no “bang for his buck”.

“Until you give us representation, what is the benefit of me giving you money to promote the CBD?” Mr Steele asked.

But Ms Woods said the guide and commercial were just part of their promotional material and that Riverway featured in their convention guide, holiday and travel guide and sports promotion.

“Most of our collateral has Riverway in it. It definitely is an area we highlight,” Ms Woods said.

The events guide highlights events, activities and experiences and is being complemented by the television commercial starring North Queensland Cowboy Michael Morgan and his fiance, personal trainer Brianna O’Toole.

Ms Woods said the campaign aimed to grow awareness of the region, increase overnight visitor expenditure and increase the numbers of visiting friends and relatives coming to town.

She said Townsville Enterprise was focused on promoting the region to its prime North Queensland market encompassing Mount Isa, Cairns and Mackay.