Peking look: China’s focus on Gold Coast
Locals loving our footy and flicks
SHANGHAI is ground zero of a two-pronged Gold Coast tourism blitz this weekend as the Chinese river city hosts the Suns vs. Port Adelaide AFL match and the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Viewers of the latest Disney release, mostly filmed on the Gold Coast, were first shown a breathtaking trailer of the city’s best attractions in a Queensland Government push to showcase the State to the biggest target market on the planet.
Across town, representatives from all levels of Government were preparing for the Suns to take on Port Adelaide at Jiangwan Stadium, where major investors and travel agents are set to join fans in varied but equally heated discussions about the Gold Coast.
Tourism and Events Queensland chairman Bob East, who is also on the boards of the Gold Coast Suns and Tourism Australia, said the off-field action was both intense and full of opportunity.
“The game is one thing that’s fantastic, it’s being broadcast over there, which is amazing,” he said.
“It’s the pre and post game functions – on the demand side it’s about getting the right agents along, the big outbound organisations, and using this event to profile Australia, but more specifically Queensland.
“On the supply side, this will bring together investors, those who want to build tourism products here.
“Any large organisation knows that if they are going to be successful in Australia they need to get exposure into things with high visibility like the AFL.”
Gold Coast Tourism executive director of corporate affairs and strategy Dean Gould said as many as 10 million people could watch tomorrow’s Suns game, hearing the words “Gold Coast” on repeat.
“We love the fact they are the Gold Coast Suns so the destination is promoted with each mention,” he said. “We have supplied some great vision of the Gold Coast to the Chinese television network broadcasting the game.”
Mayor Tom Tate and an unspecified contingent of other city staff have also travelled to China for the match.
“This is a fantastic oppor- tunity for our city to boost its reputation and awareness in one of the world’s most bustling and dynamic cities,” Cr Tate said.
“I will provide Council with a full report next week, including the educational and tourism seminars I spoke at to promote the Goldie.”