Qantas and the Victorian government have signed a AUD$12 million tourism cooperative agreement to market Victoria as a holiday destination internationally and within Australia.
Qantas International Chief Executive Officer Simon Hickey said he is extremely proud of this new partnership which will increase visitor numbers and tourism spending across Victoria.
“We are delighted to partner with the Victorian government and Tourism Victoria to promote the State to key international destinations and around Australia,” Hickey said.
“This three-year marketing agreement will encourage more people to visit Victoria and will be a valuable injection for the Victorian tourism industry, creating jobs and promoting investment and development.
“Our new partnership with Emirates will also increase visitors to Victoria, as the State is marketed to a bigger audience than ever before.”
The joint marketing agreement will target visitors from the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand and Australia.
The Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Louise Asher said the partnership takes Tourism Victoria and Qantas’ existing collaborative activity to a new level and opens up a vast number of international and domestic opportunities to grow inbound visitors to Victoria.
“Qantas’ status as one of Australia’s most iconic brands and its exceptional visibility to international consumers is well aligned with Victoria’s destination marketing strategy,” she said.
“This highlights Melbourne as a vibrant cosmopolitan city which offers many outstanding tourism experiences including an exciting events calendar, a world class culinary scene and many distinctive cultural attractions.
“It is also the gateway to many authentic and unforgettable experiences in regional Victoria,” Asher said.
The partnership will include campaigns in key international markets including advertising special airfares and promotions around major events and activities.
The agreement will also have a strong focus on digital platforms including online and social media.
The first joint marketing campaign under the partnership kicked-off this week (Oct 9), promoting Melbourne like never before and encouraging visitors to “Go before you go”.
The announcement follows similar deals between Qantas and New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory and takes the total joint investment in tourism to AUD$72 million over three years.
The move has been welcomed by TTF’s Chief Executive, Ken Morrison, who said it is a major win for Victoria’s visitor economy.
“International visitor expenditure in Victoria in the year ending June 2013 grew by 6.1 per cent to $4.6 billion and international overnight visitors increased by 5.8 per cent to 1.88 million,” he said.
“This agreement will support Tourism Victoria in raising awareness about the state’s tourism destinations and helping to encourage visitation and spend.
“Qantas’s visibility as one Australia’s most iconic brands will be particularly valuable in attracting international visitors.
“Tourism Victoria and Qantas will work together to promote Melbourne as a modern, diverse city with an outstanding events calendar and world class dining experiences.
“The state’s regional areas including Philip Island, Daylesford & the Macedon Ranges, and the Great Ocean Road will also be profiled through the new marketing campaigns.
“Social and digital media will be used to encouraging spending in Victoria’s key tourism destinations and attract international visitors,” he said.
Morrison said agreements like this are essential for the tourism industry.
“TTF’s National Tourism Business Count & Employment Atlas shows that Victoria’s visitor economy directly employs 117,900 people and supports 73,178 businesses,” he said.
“Victoria’s visitor economy also contributes $7.3 billion in gross state product and agreements like this will help that contribution grow into the future.”
Qantas operates over 1200 flights in and out of Melbourne each week, making Qantas the largest airline to service the city.