CQ region has name change as part of new tourism plan

The major change is expected to help overcome what has been a major challenge in promoting the region.

A new tourism brand for the Central Highlands was launched at the Tourism and Events Forum at Emerald.

CENTRAL Highlands tourism has undergone a makeover ahead of 2021, with a new name, logo and colour palette expected to better promote the region.

The Central Highlands as a tourism destination has been renamed Central Queensland Highlands, with the tagline 'explore more'.

Central Highlands Development Corporation revealed there was also a new logo and colour palette reflecting the region's diverse landscape, and a social media hashtag #exploreCQH.

"The brand story overcomes what have been major challenges in promoting the Central Highlands region for a very long time," CHDC tourism development coordinator Paul Thompson said.

"That is, the name Central Queensland Highlands instantly tells the tourism audience our geographical location and sets us apart from other locations around the world that are called Central Highlands.

"Also, the 'explore more' tagline draws into a unifying, core message the many experiences the region has to offer and it's a direct invitation for visitors to extend their stay."

The new brand story was launched at last week's Tourism and Events Forum, presented by CHDC, and will be rolled out ahead of the 2021 tourism season.

The initiative is the result of extensive industry and community collaboration by CHDC and is the first priority project of the Central Highlands Visitor Economy Strategy 2020-22 (CHVES).

The brand story will be at the heart of all tourism marketing by CHDC and a toolkit will be available later in December on chdc.com.au for local tourism businesses to incorporate in their own marketing.

"It's about strength in numbers - if we can all embrace and deliver the same message, it's going to make a huge difference in building brand awareness and putting us front-of-mind when people are planning a holiday," Mr Thompson said.

"With many parts of the word still grappling with COVID-19, there's no sign of our international borders opening so this brand story will help step up our game in the thriving - but competitive - domestic tourist market."

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