Reef campaign a success

The Great Barrier Reef Campaign reached more than 15 million people in Germany and sold almost two and a half times more flights into Cairns and Brisbane which will bring high-value travellers into the region between April 2019 and March 2020.

Initiated by TTNQ in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland Europe, this is the first time the seven Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) along the Great Barrier Reef have joined forces to increase visitation to the Reef,” she said.

We worked with Tourism Whitsundays, Townsville Enterprise, Mackay Tourism, Gladstone Area Promotion and Development, Capricorn Enterprise and Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism to partner with airlines and key travel wholesalers in Germany.

The $655,000 campaign showed the diverse Australian experiences that Germans love, including unique wildlife, ancient rainforest, Indigenous culture and the beach lifestyle, demonstrating that the Great Barrier Reef is a key Australian leisure destination.

As part of the campaign, more than 600 German travel agents were trained to sell signature Australian experiences along the length of the Great Barrier Reef and to understand the state of its health so they could talk to travellers about it.

Germans are very sensitive about the environment, therefore, it is important to help them understand that the Reef does have challenges but it is very much alive and worth visiting.

As part of the campaign, the story of the ultimate Great Barrier Reef road trip was rolled out with a series of posts on the German version of the Visit Queensland, Australia Facebook page to inspire visitors to travel the length of the Great Barrier Reef.

The multi-faceted marketing campaign consisted of radio, travel magazine advertorial, a supplement in a leading dive magazine, nationwide billboards, streetcar signage, illuminated city posters, a campaign partner landing page, social media, e-news calendar promotion, and representation at International Media Marketplace.

Wholesalers reported an increase in bookings to Queensland and in the amount of time spent in the State with many Queensland itineraries averaging 18 days and including 50-80% Queensland product as part of an Australian holiday.

The successful campaign is being rolled out for a second year to further grow the German market to the destinations alongside the Great Barrier Reef.

[Article from 25 September 2019 – TTNQ Fortnightly Pulse]

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