Has Tourism Australia got it all wrong again in its latest advertising campaign?
Rubbishing tourism campaigns is a national sport in Australia. I thought the ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ campaign was rather witty, but it quickly turned into a national joke, the more so when Lara Bingle, the young lady who delivered that memorable punchline, became overexposed in all senses of the word.
Tourism promotion is not an easy thing to get right. We need to tell potential visitors what makes Australia unique, but we Aussies are offended if we’re depicted as beach bums who cuddle koalas. Where are our fine dining restaurants, our world class arts experiences and our sophisticated modern cities with their vibrant multicultural buzz?
Tourism Australia no doubt spend a lot of money finding out who we could be attracting to Australia and what we need to do to get them here. It’s not rocket science to understand that tourists go to Paris for food and art, Egypt and Turkey for ancient ruins and London and New York for theatre. They come to Australia to lie on beaches and cuddle koalas.
The latest criticism of Tourism Australia comes in an article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, as the head of Malaysia’s budget airline AirAsia X, Mr Azran Osman-Rani, tells us that most Asian tourists would infer from the promotional video that travel in Australia is out of their price range.
Spectacular Australian scenery is not hard to find, and I think the music used in the promotion has hit written all over it. There’s a lovely little YouTube clip showing the music being created by Tasmanian singer/songwriter Dewayne Everettsmith and Milwaukee viola player Jasmine Beams.
But the finished video shows tourists flying over the landscape in helicopters and light planes, sailing past it on luxury yachts, and dressing in tuxedos for candlelit silver service dinner beside it.
AirAsia X caters for budget travellers, and many of their customers would assume that spectacular joy flights and private yachts would not be included in their basic airfare + hotel package. They would be right.
Two problems tourism promoters can’t do much about are Australia’s remote location and the current strength of the Aussie dollar. We can’t move Australia closer to Europe or the US, though we can remind people we’re not so very far from Beijing, Singapore or Tokyo.
Our economy has done relatively better at surviving the GFC than practically anywhere in the world, with the result that value of the little Aussie dollar has climbed dramatically against the greenback and the euro.
There’s no shortage of articles in which experts tell us we’re poor value for tourist money, and that our service varies from rude to downright racist.
Clive Dorman’s article and the comments which follow it provide a good example.
I’m pleased to report that most people I meet overseas are quick to say that they like Australians and how much they enjoyed their time in our country, despite the cost and the long haul flight.
Those who haven’t been usually tell me how much they would like to go there – if only it weren’t for the money and the 24 hours in that bloody plane!
I recognise that Tourism Australia, along with the better hotels and tour operators, may be more anxious to attract cashed-up high rollers than cheapskates like us and most of our friends. Backpackers with a Gap year and a work permit already know about Australia and will come anyway.
But when we travel to other places we’re always on the lookout for a freebee or at least a bargain. We don’t usually charter a helicopter or a luxury yacht.
So what are the affordable Australian travel experiences that we could be promoting to attract visitors? What would a promotional video of a ‘real, typical, ordinary family holiday’ in Australia include?
Here are a few things I’d put on my list:
1. A stroll around Sydney Harbour.
2. A proper cup of coffee in Carlton, Leichhardt or numerous other places.
3. A picnic in the Blue Mountains, Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens, Adelaide Hills or Kings Park in Perth.
4. Swimming with the fish at Clovelly Beach with a mask and snorkel.
5. Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney – free every November.
6. An Australian Rules football match.
7. A cheap Lebanese meal in Lakemba or a Vietnamese one in Cabramatta or Richmond.
8. Camping and walking almost anywhere in Tasmania, the Australian Alps or the Queensland hinterland.
What else should I add? Where do Australians take their overseas visitors?
What experiences have visitors enjoyed that didn’t require a private helicopter?
And if you’ve never been DownUnder, does the Tourism Australia video make you want to visit our country?