Huge surge in searches for Brisbane after Olympic announcement
Brisbane’s Olympic Games are still more than a decade away, but there has already been an instant impact since Wednesday’s announcement.
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Queensland’s Olympic coup is already paying off with a huge surge in online searches delivering an estimated $170 million worth of free publicity since Wednesday night’s historic announcement.
Google searches for Brisbane and the bold Olympic bid soared almost 1000 per cent in a single day after International Olympic Committee boss Thomas Bach confirmed the Sunshine State as host of the 2032 Games.
State government modelling has estimated the value of the free publicity at more than $170m, but tourism bosses say it is worth far more than money could ever buy.
Queensland’s final pitch to the IOC included a stunning video showcasing some of the state’s most beautiful tourist attractions and destinations and it is hoped tourism websites and booking portals will be flooded with interest in a gold rush set to sustain the industry for an entire generation.
The state’s tourism industry is expected to earn a $4.6 billion economic impact from Brisbane’s Games.
Tourism operators aren’t the only ones ready to reap the rewards, with opportunistic entrepreneurs known as “cyber squatters” also trying to cash in on Brisbane-themed web addresses that have been sitting idle for years.
The flurry of activity highlights just how significant Brisbane’s Olympics will be for the state’s economy over the next decade and beyond.
Acting Queensland Premier Steven Miles said interest and attention for the state had so far been “overwhelming”.
“It’s Queensland’s time to shine,” he said.
“Millions of people right around the world are itching to find out more about Brisbane and Queensland.
“The exposure generated by the Olympics will be invaluable in years to come.
“There’s no doubt the coverage that the Games will generate over the next 10 years will support local businesses to build back better in Queensland.”
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Leanne Coddington said the win would provide the Queensland tourism and event industry with “an unprecedented opportunity” to showcase our state to the world, not only for the next 11 years but for decades to come.
“We saw through the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games how successful large-scale international sporting events can be in driving visitors to a destination and we’ll see that again at an even higher level now Brisbane and Queensland have been named as the host of the 2032 Olympics,” she said.
“Already we are seeing a huge level of interest in our capital and Queensland from across the globe and we’ll work to capitalise on that interest in the coming weeks, months and years.
“The statewide approach to the 2032 Olympic Games will also benefit the state’s tourism industry, meaning the economic benefit and boost in visitation will be felt by operators and businesses right across Queensland.”
Cyber squatters are also poised to cash in, with expressions of interest open for a number of web addresses, including Brisbane.com and Brisbane.com.au.
The Brisbane.com.au address belongs to a small company known as Brisbane Online which is based in regional Victoria.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the city already had several platforms catering to those seeking information about the new Olympic city.
“I’m not surprised at all to hear that a Victorian has seen enormous value in buying up a Brisbane domain name,” he said.
“Brisbane was already getting better under our plans for better roads, parks and green bridges.
Now Brisbane has joined the likes of Paris, London, Barcelona and Tokyo as an Olympic city, interest in our little corner of the plant is going to grow enormously.
“Our own websites, like vistbrisbane.com.au, already dominate this space for the city and we currently have no purpose for this domain.
“But hopefully an enterprising Queenslander can snap this site up and put it to good use because over the next decade and beyond the world’s attention is going to be on Brisbane.”
Doctor Alan Davidson, a University of Queensland professor of electronic commerce law, said the subject of domain names was a complicated issue governed by many rules and regulations.
However, he said web address owners were free to sell their domain names once they had owned them for a reasonable period of time.
The owners of Brisbane.com.au were contacted for comment.
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