Gold Coast coronavirus: New tourism campaign launches to plug $310m hole in economy
Stunning images of the Gold Coast’s beaches, theme parks and natural attractions will be at the heart of a multi-million dollar tourism campaign which launches today.
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STUNNING images of the Gold Coast’s beaches, theme parks and natural attractions will be at the heart of a $1.5 million tourism campaign which launches today.
Destination Gold Coast will this morning launch its “come back to play campaign” pitched at luring Queenslanders back to the Glitter Strip.
The 14-week campaign will target people across the state
However, tourism bosses say that with the border still closed, it will not be enough to plug the $310 million the city is losing monthly.
“Intrastate travel is a welcome step for Gold Coast tourism’s road to recovery, but it is not enough to make up for the shortfall of an estimated financial loss of $310 million per month, after the region arguably the most impacted by the pandemic, was decimated in its wake,” Destination Gold Coast chief executive Annaliese Battista said.
“Now that intrastate travel restrictions have eased, we’ve wasted no time in rolling out our ‘Come Back and Play’ campaign to tempt holiday-makers to explore their own backyard, as Aussies emerge from lockdown,” Ms Battista said.
“Gold Coast operators are desperate to clawback the economic losses they sustained as a result of the COVID-crisis and we know pent-up demand for travel will continue to grow as social and travel restrictions are further relaxed.
“The marketing blitz is part of four-phased plan to trigger a tourism-led economic recovery by reminding Aussies there’s no better place to holiday than in Australia’s favourite playground.”
The $6 billion industry, the Gold Coast’s largest, has been brought to its knees by the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the closure of borders and the effective shutdown of the entire sector.
The 14-week campaign will be going back to basics and adapts core components from Destination Gold Coast’s previous successful domestic marketing campaigns that resulted in a record-breaking 14.2 million visitors to the Gold Coast throughout 2019.
This will include vision of the Gold Coast broadcast across free-to-air TV and radio, digital and social media placements and spruiking holiday deals.
Some of the Gold Coast’s most picturesque locations will be featured in the campaign, including Rainbow Bay, Sea World, Miami Marketta, Tamborine Mountain’s Curtis Falls, the Broadwater and Tallebudgera Creek.
A recent survey found the Gold Coast was the top destination interstate travellers wanted to visit once border restrictions were reopened.
While the Gold Coast has ‘missed the boat’ on the July school holidays period, with borders still closed, it is hoped the campaign will bring in people during the non-peak periods of late July and August, building up momentum into the September school holidays.
Ms Battista said reviving the tourism industry was critical to the survival of the Gold Coast’s economy in withstanding the recession.
“We are focused on reanimating Gold Coast’s economy to support the one in seven Gold Coasters employed in the tourism sector, alongside our operators, who have felt the brunt of devastation over the past five months,” she said.
““Our chief priority is to jump-start the domestic market by stimulating demand, visitation and expenditure for the city.
“In the immediate term this will be to attract intrastate visitors eager to explore attractions and experiences and engage in activities they’ve missed out on, like dining in at a restaurant or cafe.”
Originally published as Gold Coast coronavirus: New tourism campaign launches to plug $310m hole in economy