TOURISM Australia will up the ante in Indonesia by establishing a physical presence in the market by year-end and by spending significantly more money on wooing Indonesian visitors.
According to Tourism Australia managing director, Andrew McEvoy, strong efforts would continue to be expended in the mature markets of Singapore and Malaysia, but an increased focus would be placed on Indonesia, the second fastest-growing source of arrivals for the country after China.
“Indonesia is a strong market for Australia. We have good aviation access and Jakarta has a lucrative middle class,” said McEvoy, adding that the marketing budget set aside for Indonesia in the 2012/2013 financial year was 150 per cent more compared to the year before.
This year, the cornerstone of Tourism Australia’s initiatives in Asia is the second iteration of its brand campaign, There’s Nothing Like Australia, which already debuted in China earlier this month. It will be progressively introduced to the rest of the region.
McEvoy conceded that the NTO had been inconsistent in its brand campaigns during the first decade, but promised that this one was here to stay for “the next 10 to 20 years”.
He explained that while the first creative was responsible for launching the campaign and bringing the Australian personality to life, the second was more emotional and projected “a sophisticated image”.
Besides a signature short film advertisement, which features locations such as the Bungle Bungles in the Kimberley and Freycinet in Tasmania, an interactive, storybook-like tablet app has also been launched.
Similar to when the campaign was first introduced in 2010, customisable tools such as widgets will be offered to travel consultants, allowing them to list relevant packages alongside pre-loaded featured experiences ranging from indigenous tourism to food and wine. Aussie Specialists with Facebook pages can also pull content from Tourism Australia’s online repository.
Maggie White, Tourism Australia regional general manager, South Asia, South-east Asia and the Gulf, said that in a market with high repeats like Singapore, the NTO needed to continue to “give new news”, and that the current campaign was a good platform to do so.
Meanwhile, McEvoy let on that marketing spend on mainstream versus digital media was now 50:50, compared to 80:20 five years ago. He added that the ongoing campaign features a strong social media element, which attempts to harness the power of “Facebook jealousy” among travellers.
