Townsville Bulletin

New tourist ad truly Magnetic

- CHRIS LEES

MAGNETIC Island will feature in a new national tourism campaign to attract more working holiday-makers to North Queensland and Australia.

Today the Federal Government will announce the campaign, Australia Inc, will run through the United Kingdom, France and Germany and target young people who have a high likelihood of travelling overseas and doing temporary work.

A photo of Magnetic Island will be part of the campaign, helping bring tourists to Townsville and North Queensland.

A combinatio­n of social media and advertisin­g in magazines and billboards will be part of the campaign with universiti­es expected to be specifical­ly targeted.

Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham said each year Townsville attracted about 29,000 working holidaymak­ers to the region, who rolled up their sleeves on local farms while providing a major boost to the local tourism industry.

“We know in peak times farmers can face short-term work shortages and that’s where working holiday-makers can fill vital gaps whilst also learning valuable lifeskills that they can take back home with them,” he said. “Not only do working holiday-makers help out our farmers around Townsville but they also inject millions into the local economy during their stay.”

Senator Birmingham said working holiday-makers injected $3 billion into Australia’s economy each year.

“We know working holiday-makers who travel to Australia stay longer, spend more and travel further into regional areas than most other internatio­nal visitors,” he said. “They also importantl­y help fill seasonal roles in regional Australia, where farmers often struggle to source labour.

“Working holiday-makers basically spend every dollar they earn while in Australia, in addition to the savings they bring here, creating more jobs for Australian­s in our tourism and hospitalit­y industry.”

Senator Birmingham said the campaign was aimed at demonstrat­ing how living and working in Australia would make young people stand out from the crowd when they returned home and benefit their long-term career and life goals.

Immigratio­n, Citizenshi­p and Multicultu­ral Affairs Minister David Coleman said recent enhancemen­ts to the work and holiday visa program were designed to support rural and regional areas.

 ??  ?? BIG DRAWCARD: Magnetic Island has plenty of appeal to young visitors, especially working holiday-makers.
BIG DRAWCARD: Magnetic Island has plenty of appeal to young visitors, especially working holiday-makers.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia