Queenslanders are being urged to holiday on the Gold Coast as the first burst of campaign activity launches to support struggling operators looking to capitalise on a tourism-led recovery.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said in a statement that the recently-launched Come Back and Play campaign 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,” she 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 A$1.5 million (US$1 million) campaign is part of a four-phased plan to trigger a tourism-led economic recovery by encouraging Aussies to holiday in Gold Coast, said Battista.
“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 added.
The 14-week campaign adapts core experiences and creative components from Destination Gold Coast’s previous domestic marketing campaigns. Compelling vision of the Gold Coast will play out across a number of media platforms to entice audiences to visit the city.
Battista said the campaign will leverage appetite for drive holidays and primarily target high-spending travellers from Brisbane and regional Queensland.
“Our chief priority is to jumpstart the domestic market by stimulating demand, visitation and expenditure for the city,” she said.
“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.”
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; and Sea World Cruises, Main Beach.
