UK TikTok stars Max Balegde and Monty Keates flown in for ‘10-pound Pom’ program push

Young TikTok stars are being flown over to promote our great state, but the tourism commission is keeping mum on how much it’s costing the taxpayer.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has splashed the cash on young social media stars in a bid to push the state’s reimagined 10-pound Pom’ program.

The Working Holiday Maker campaign will provide 200 return trips to Adelaide for just 10 pounds each (about $18) to young people from the UK and Ireland, with flights from London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin.

It is hoped the campaign will boost business for hospitality and tourism operators who have been hard hit during the pandemic.

Max Balegde and Monty Keates, who have a whopping 2.8m followers between them on TikTok, have been signed up by SATC to spruik the deal.

Balegde has shared videos of himself on an outback tour, tasting kangaroo, hitting up bars in the Adelaide CBD and discussing SA’s “posh” accents.

The commission also appears to have engaged a number of interstate influencers on separate campaigns, with The Bachelorette’s Brooke Blurton and Married at First Sight’s Martha Kalifatidis posting about recent trips to SA.

SATC declined to disclose the figures spent on commercial ‘influencer’ agreements when approached by The Advertiser.

Uk TikTokker Max Balegde has shared clips from his time in SA as part of the Working Holiday Maker push. Picture: TikTok

The Bachelorette star Brooke Blurton recently shared her trip to South Australia on social media. Picture: Supplied

But an SATC spokesperson confirmed that Balegde and Keates had been engaged for the Working Holiday Maker campaign, due to their “significant reach and target demographic” of 18 to 35-year-olds.

“In an increasingly competitive market, it is important we are active on various social media platforms, promoting South Australia as the perfect location to holiday, live and work,” an SATC spokesperson said.

“This will help fill employment gaps and skills shortages in the city and regional areas, and subsequently boost tourism.”

The program is seeking to return South Australia’s backpacker market to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, South Australia had 27,000 working holiday visitors to the state, who spent $47m in the visitor economy.

“We want to encourage these young people to come to South Australia, work here and also stay and spend as tourists,” an SATC spokesperson said.

More information about the campaign can be found here.