Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Member for Barron River Steve Wettenhall who launched the new ‘Tropical Treats’ tourism campaign in Cairns today was the latest initiative in a series of aggressive marketing activities coordinated by Tourism Queensland in an attempt to tempt more Aussie holidaymakers to the region.
“Tourism Queensland has joined with major industry partners Sunlover Holidays, Virgin Blue, Tourism Tropical North Queensland and local industry in this exciting campaign which will give consumers even more reason to holiday in the Tropical North this year,” Mr Wettenhall said.
“Southerners can expect to be bombarded with ‘Tropical Treats’ such as stay three nights and pay for two from $85per person twin share, which will be on sale for a month from this Sunday, with travel dates extending through until September.
“The campaign, which incorporates more than 40 operators, includes television, print, online and in-store components and aims to attract more visitors to the region through the traditionally quieter months in the middle of the year.”
Mr Wettenhall said the Tropical North had performed particularly well in 2009 with an increased number of domestic holidaymakers choosing to visit the region.
“Campaigns like this are having a tangible impact domestically and have helped to support the industry through a particularly tough year,” he said.
“More than 1.5 million Aussies visited Tropical North Queensland in 2009, increasing their spending on visits by 23 percent to $1.7 billion.
“Last month I announced the ‘Feel a million miles away in a few hours’ campaign, which generated a lot of interest for the region in the lead up to Easter.
“Late last year Tourism Queensland also coordinated the ‘Spend more time, not more money’ campaign for the region which resulted in nearly 7800 room nights and an estimated $5 million in visitor expenditure.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Rob Giason said Cairns Regional Council was the organisation’s local partner for the campaign which was set to encourage visitors to fly into Cairns, pick up an Avis car with a bonus upgrade and discover the region’s diversity.
“As well as Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, the campaign includes accommodation and activities in Port Douglas, Daintree, Palm Cove, Cairns Beaches, Dunk Island and Mission Beach,” Mr Giason said.
Sunlover Holidays’ General Manager of Sales and Marketing Hugh Houston said Tropical North Queensland had so much to offer holidaymakers and the campaign catered for different tastes and budgets by including a variety of travel bargains and value-add deals.
“We are confident that the ‘Tropical Treats’ offers will appeal to all those looking to enjoy a quintessential Queensland experience,” Mr Houston said.
Mr Wettenhall said partnering with Virgin Blue meant the campaign would include some fantastic deals for visitors to fly into Cairns and explore the region.
“Virgin Blue currently operates 53 weekly flights into Cairns collectively from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, making the Tropical North easy to visit,” he said.
“Funding for the campaign has been made available as part of the Tourism Action Plan to 2012 which will guide Queensland’s tourism strategy, help drive more visitors from around the world to holiday in Queensland and support Queensland jobs.”
