Gold Coast holiday deals invite southerners to wave winter goodbye
Posted by editor (editor) on Aug 12 2010
2010 >>

A new tourism campaign with major online accommodation provider Wotif.com is providing southerners with great deals to enjoy the Gold Coast in the last months of winter, Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor announced today.

Mr Lawlor said the ‘Wave Winter Goodbye’ $115,000 marketing campaign was an initiative of Gold Coast Tourism, Tourism Queensland and Wotif.com.

“The Gold Coast is enjoying typically sublime winter weather, while our friends in southern states are shivering, so there’s no better time for Australians to take a break from the winter chills,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Working with Australia’s number one online accommodation provider allows us to serve up some incredible accommodation rates on the Gold Coast starting at $80 per night.

“You’ll have to get in quick though, as the deals go on sale on Friday 23 July and are only available until Wednesday 4 August with travel available until the end of October.

“I’d like to commend Gold Coast Tourism and Tourism Queensland for working collaboratively on this campaign and for keeping the region top of mind with our southern neighbours during this traditionally slower period.”

Mr Lawlor said the campaign would incorporate online, radio and print components, specifically targeting Sydney and Melbourne residents.

“The Gold Coast was Melburnians’ favourite Queensland destination in the year ending March 2010, with 281,000 holidaying on the Coast, up 20 percent on the previous year,” he said.

“The number of Sydneysiders visiting the coast remained stable with 567,000 residents visiting the Coast during the same period.

“The other good news for people who book their holiday during the campaign is that the travel period extends over the upcoming September school holidays so there is an opportunity to grab a real bargain.

“Targeted tactical campaigns of this nature are ultimately aimed at boosting revenue and supporting operators during a traditionally quieter period.”

Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter said savvy consumers were looking for deals and this campaign offered exactly that.

“Current travel trends show us that Australians are willing to holiday if they can get the right deal, and the Gold Coast is only too happy to oblige with arguably the best value holiday deals of the year,” he said.

Mr Lawlor said with people becoming increasingly price conscious campaigns like this were a fantastic way to appeal to travellers seeking a value-for-money holiday and a good excuse to ditch the winter woollies for some fun in the sun.

“While this campaign targets accommodation providers, we expect there will be the usual flow-through of expenditure to other Gold Coast tourism businesses, including food retailers, shopping districts, tour operators, theme parks and attractions,” he said.

“This year’s ‘Wave Winter Goodbye’ campaign follows the highly successful Wotif.com Get Some Gold Coast Sun Sale which it is estimated could have contributed as much as $6.6 million in visitor expenditure for the local economy.”

Mr Lawlor said in the year ending March 2010 the Gold Coast welcomed over 3.1 million Aussies who spent approximately $2.9 billion on their trips to the region.

Further information
Minister’s Office – 3225 1005

Last changed: Aug 12 2010 at 10:30 AM