There's one place Australia wants every Aussie to visit this year. Photo / Supplied, Tourism Australia
There's one place Australia wants every Aussie to visit this year. Photo / Supplied, Tourism Australia
Australia's tourism industry has a gift for headline-grabbing publicity campaigns.
The government backed "Bushfire Bounce Back", half-price airfare "Ticket to Recovery" and "Holiday Here this Year" have been among the most memorable of the past year.
Since the beginning of last year there have been some very creative if mixed messages from the kangaroo-loving quango Tourism Australia. Each of the six states (and Canberra) have enjoyed their time in the sun and a share of a $50 million regional tourism recovery fund to combat the pandemic.
But there's one destination being promoted by the Aussie tourism board above others: a Covid 19 vaccination centre.
"It's our best shot for travel: get vaccinated and get ready to go," reads the slogan.
Appearing in daily newspapers and online advertisements, the Australian tourism industry has launched a campaign appealing to Aussies to get their jab.
Our Best Shot: Tourism Australia says vaccination is the only route back to travel. Photo / Supplied
At an online webinar last week the tourism body said that vaccination was their "best shot" at getting travel and the rest of the country back to normal.
Phillipa Harrison, MD for Tourism Australia, said that vaccination would be a top priority for their messaging.
"We need to claim back our way of life, so that we can visit friends and relatives, get back into the workplace, get our kids back to school, travel domestically and internationally again, and welcome the world back to enjoy all that Australia has to offer," she said.
With one in every thirteen Australians employed in tourism and hospitality, the industry was turning its considerable clout to promoting vaccines.
Representing 8 percent of the nation whose livelihood was tied to tourism, Harrison said that their campaign would be vital to reopening state borders and getting people moving again.
This weekend the Australian Capital Territory joined regional New South Wales in a hard lockdown. Travel restrictions and test requirements remain at the country's land and air borders.
Tourism Australia says its not just tourism that will benefit from a wider uptake of the Covid 19 immunisation programme.
The wider hospitality sector has also rolled up their sleeves to help with the vaccine messaging.
A campaign featuring leading Australian chefs is due to start this month called "put a jab on the menu" in order to increase appetite for the vaccine.
Major media organisations including Nine Entertainment, owner of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have pledged support and ad space for the campaign.
In the past year, airline Qantas has provided both the carrot and the stick in its approach to vaccine mandates for passengers.
In March Alan Joyce suggested that it would not fly unvaccinated travellers internationally, however this tough approach has been tempered with a rewards incentive programme. Passengers could be rewarded with airpoints to boost uptake of travel among vaccinated passengers.
The Australian Federation of Travel Agents has also begun urging members to get vaccinated to help speed up the welcoming of clients back into shops and booking into holidays.
Tourism Australia is widely seen as one of the most active and well funded national tourism brands. For the 2020-21 year it was allocated a quarter of a billion dollars ($242.4) from the federal budget to help post-Covid recovery. The brand's celebrity ambassadors Chris Hemsworth and Kylie Minogue can be counted on to bring a touch of Aussie/Hollywood glamour.
Tourism Australia is today launching its latest $38 million campaign to attract international visitors. The ads spruik the Australian 'philAUSophy' of a relaxed approach to life. What do you reckon? How would you sell Australia? @BreakfastNewspic.twitter.com/1pAAOcEiEg
