Whitsundays global campaign

AN INTERNATIONAL campaign designed to lure foreign travellers back to Queensland following the impact of Cyclone Debbie was unveiled in France last night.

Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo ( pictured) said the first phase of Tourism Australia’s overseas push centred on over 500 billboards around Paris, showcasing the best of the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef.

“We are letting the world know Queensland is open for business.

“The Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays remain beautiful; there has never been a better time to visit,” Minister Ciobo said.

Ciobo said the campaign was launched in France, Australia’s 15th largest inbound market, because French tourists were among those most likely to travel far & wide throughout Australia.

“This campaign will inspire them to visit regional Queensland, and the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef in particular.”

The Turnbull Government has jointly funded a $10m campaign to help the recovery of the tourism industry since Cyclone Debbie.

Speaking on Channel Nine’s Today show this morning from Paris, Ciobo said it was important for tourists to “make sure they still took their holidays in the Whitsundays, at Airlie Beach... because there are so many businesses that rely on the tourism industry”.

He said companies impacted by a “tragedy and trauma of a cyclone” tends to suffer from “months and months and months of not having business because tourists are staying away”.

“And this is why I’m so determined, as Tourism Minister, to make sure we can entice not only domestic customers back, but international customers too,” Ciobo said.