The $1.5 million campaign is part of a four-phased plan.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista says the new campaign launched on June 15, is the first step in revitalising Gold Coast’s tourism sector with the push set to be extended interstate once border restrictions are lifted.
“Now that intrastate travel restrictions have eased, we’ve wasted no time in rolling out our Come Back and Play campaign to tempt holidaymakers to explore their own backyard, as Aussies emerge from lockdown,” Battista says.
“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 $1.5 million campaign is part of a 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.
“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.”
The 14-week campaign adapts core experiences and creative 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.
Compelling vision of the Gold Coast will be broadcast across free-to-air TV and radio, digital and social media placements to entice audiences to come and play with a range of holiday deals.
Battista says the latest campaign will leverage appetite for drive holidays and primarily target high-spending travellers from Brisbane and regional Queensland.
“Our chief priority is to jump-start the domestic market by stimulating demand, visitation and expenditure for the city,” she says.
“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 café.”
Destination Gold Coast’s suite of ‘remind’ videos released last month captured the hearts and minds of more than five million Aussie and Kiwi viewers during various stages of lockdown, presenting a tactical opportunity to appeal to a captive audience.
Recent research has shown the Gold Coast near or at the top of the list for post-COVID interstate travel.
Battista says the Gold Coast had unfortunately been unable to fully capitalise on the demand as a result of border closures and was hoping interstate travellers would be welcomed back as soon as it was deemed safe to do so.
“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,” she says.
Twelve experiences, events and products from across the Gold Coast that feature in the campaign include:
• Rainbow Bay, Coolangatta
• Sea World, Main Beach
• Warner Bros. Movie World, Oxenford
• Miami Marketta, Miami
• SWELL Sculpture Festival, Currumbin
• Jumpinpin, South Stradbroke Island
• Curtis Falls, Tamborine Mountain
• Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, Tallebudgera Valley
• Gold Coast Broadwater
• Dreamworld, Coomera
• Tallebudgera Creek
• Sea World Cruises, Main Beach
