Over the next three years we plan to invest an extra $38 million into tourism to help sustain tourist
numbers and jobs. In January this year Tourism Queensland launched its Best Job in the World
campaign. This campaign is a testament to a new social media era in tourism promotion. The process
has cost tax payers just $1 million, but has generated more than $100 million in international publicity.
Just last week it was voted in the top 50 PR campaigns ever released in the world, ahead of events such
as The Beatles final show on top of the Abbey Road studios in England.
At the moment Queensland tourism is the toast of the world. International tourists are no longer
thinking ‘Australia’; they are thinking ‘Queensland’. I have a son in London and a daughter in Dubai and
they are continually telling me about the wide coverage that this campaign receives. In just under two
weeks sixteen finalists will arrive in Brisbane before heading to Hamilton Island for the final interview
process. With them will be 70 media outlets from around the world, including the BBC and CNN which
have requested satellite feeds from Hamilton Island. Usually that is only seen in the coverage of events
such as the Olympic Games. We can all truly be proud of this campaign and what it has done for our
international and domestic reputation in tourism.
Tourism Queensland has started working on its next big idea and if the best job campaign is
anything to go by, the world could again be looking at Queensland with envy. These low-cost, smart
marketing campaigns will be complemented by a range of tactical campaigns designed to drive
businesses directly to tourism operators from the cape to Coolangatta, from Mackay to Mt Isa. As the
new Queensland Tourism minister, I may have snagged the best job in the world.
