Townsville Enterprise destination marketing campaigns have reached almost two million people in the last four months, with the latest quarterly marketing results announced last week.
The period from 1 April – 19 August included campaigns such as Buy Now Holiday Later, These Moments Matter school holiday campaign and the launch of the Museum of Underwater Art, as well as an ‘always-on’ strategy which saw up to 6% increase in followers on social media.
Marketing Highlights:
- Campaign assets have been seen more than 5.7 million times
- Campaign has reached 1.9 million people
- Destination features across more than 20 State and National media publications including Australian Traveller, Queensland Weekender, Today Show and Urban List.
- Hosted 7 social media influencers with a combined reach of more than 1.7M followers
- Over $100,000 holiday vouchers sold in the peak of the COVID pandemic
Townsville Enterprise Director Visitor Economy and Marketing Lisa Woolfe said the last four months have seen significant challenges for the tourism and events sector; however, Townsville Enterprise has worked with partners and stakeholders to maintain a strong marketing presence.
“Throughout the initial stages of the pandemic, our strategy pivoted dramatically to react to the changing environment, but our key focus of destination awareness has remained, with activity focused on inspiring future travellers and encouraging Queenslanders to explore our region as travel has reopened,” Ms Woolfe said.
“From local business support, to regional school holiday campaigns, our marketing activity has relied on the use of social media to promote our region and we continue to work closely with our stakeholders to navigate this new world together."
With another school holiday period scheduled for the end of this month, attention has again turned to the family market with a dedicated intra-regional campaign titled – Explore Next Door – targeted at Townsville locals and visitors from Cairns and Mackay.
“The Explore Next Door campaign, delivered in partnership with the Charters Towers Regional Council, Hinchinbrook Shire Council and the Burdekin Shire Council, aims to drive visitation to our regional areas through targeted social media, radio, and billboards,” Ms Woolfe said.
“There has never been a better time to support our regional tourism market and explore next door, we have some of Australia’s most iconic landscapes all within an hour and a half drive of Townsville – from the rainforest to the reef and even the Outback.”
“Queensland families are used to the idea of travelling holiday, so we’re encouraging locals in North Queensland to hit the road and explore the regions, to discover their own family adventure that could be right next door.”
Owner of JKs Deli in Ingham, Karen Venables said the campaign was welcomed ahead of what is normally one of the region’s most popular tourism periods.
“The school holidays are an ideal tourism opportunity for our regional businesses, so a dedicated campaign such as this will provide a huge boost. We’re thankful to be able to welcome visiting Queensland families to experience our beautiful backyard for themselves.” Ms Venables said.
Click here to learn more about the Explore Next Door campaign
