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DESTINATION NSW ROAD TRIPS MARKETING PROGRAM PUTS VISITOR ECONOMY ON TRACK FOR RECOVERY
Some of Australia’s biggest names in music including Guy Sebastian, Amy Shark and Ocean Alley are headlining a new tourism campaign encouraging Australians to take a road trip in NSW and support local communities.
The new Destination NSW road trips program is an extension of its Love NSW and Great Escape campaigns designed to drive growth in domestic visitation. It includes 28 refreshed drive itineraries, The Long Road web series - starring the Aussie musicians - and extensive media and partnership programs.
NSW tourism industry stakeholders are invited to attend a free webinar about NSW road trips tomorrow, Thursday 3 December to hear more about the marketing program and how to get involved.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres announced the initiative on Sunday and said the next phase of the state’s economic recovery would rely on continued support from holidaymakers.
“It has been fantastic to hear that much of our accommodation was fully booked across the state in recent months as we embrace COVID-safe travel and domestic borders reopening,” Minister Ayres said.
“Now we need to focus on the medium-term recovery, and start planning our next holiday in 2021, or take a mid-week break now – and why not make it a great escape with a road trip across regional NSW?
“Reconnect with regional communities, discover the hidden gems along the way and see NSW as you’ve never seen it from the road while giving towns a much-needed boost by staying and spending locally.”
NSW road trips is an ‘always on’ 365-days-a-year initiative with targeted promotional activities through to the end of the 2020-21 financial year. It is an integrated and evolving program of activity aligned to consumer mindsets, travel behaviours and seasonal opportunities.
The targeted promotional campaign through to July includes:
- The Long Road web series (see more detail below)
- New landing page featuring all road trip itineraries on VisitNSW.com and Sydney.com
- Widespread domestic advertising including digital, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, digital publishers such as We Are Explorers and influencer marketing
- High impact editorial coverage in broadcast, print and online, including integration with Better Homes and Gardens and Hayden Quinn’s Taste of Australia NSW 10-episode season
- Geo-specific Spotify ads that are triggered when you arrive in specific destinations on a road trip
- Cooperative marketing campaigns with partners including Tripadvisor, Kayak, Helloworld, Welcome to Country and Wotif to drive bookings
Destination NSW has released a series of 28 refreshed road trip itineraries across the state featuring towns in all of the state’s regions from Albury to Armidale, Cooma to Coffs Harbour.
The itineraries are available on VisitNSW.com and Sydney.com and can be searched by interest such as culture and heritage or coastal and aquatic, by duration of one to five-plus days, or by region.
The new road trip landing page on VisitNSW.com has been user-tested live for the past two weeks, and has already seen +330% increase in organic leads to industry.
Register now for the NSW road trips industry briefing webinar, Thursday 3 December at 10.30am.
Image: The Long Road host Ash London and acclaimed Australian artist Amy Shark in Broken Hill.
ROAD TRIPS REIGNITE LOVE OF REGIONAL NSW
FOR AUSSIE MUSICIANS
Visitors can draw extra inspiration from the footsteps of six award-winning Aussie musicians including Guy Sebastian, Amy Shark and Troy Casser-Daley, who have been road tripping across NSW showcasing their experiences as part of a six-part YouTube video series titled, The Long Road.
The Long Road features six of NSW’s hero road trips including:
Singing superstar Guy Sebastian plays golf and enjoys fresh, local produce along the iconic Grand Pacific Drive
Indie pop darling Amy Shark gets creative in the outback on the Darling River Run
High-energy performer Connie Mitchell from Sneaky Sound System cruises the Greater Blue Mountains Drive
Country music singer Troy Cassar-Daley follows his passion for the ocean and fierce pride of his Bundjalung Aboriginal heritage on the 250-kilometre Rainforest Way drive, stopping along the way for a surf and some bush tucker
Keen fisherman Baden Donegal, lead singer from psychedelic indie rock band Ocean Alley, travels deep into the mountains on the Kosciuszko Alpine Way for a spot of fly-fishing (follow link above to watch episode)
Rock duo Polish Club follow The Mighty Murray River Drive and discover history and adventure along the way
ARIA-winner Amy Shark was deeply moved by her experience along the Darling River Run through Outback NSW, which stretches from Walgett to Wentworth via Tilpa, Wilcannia, Menindee and more.
“It’s been such an incredible and rewarding experience to be part of The Long Road. Taking the time to meet the locals, hear their stories and see where they call home, has been amazing,” Amy said.
“I never thought I would ever visit the Darling River Run, Broken Hill and the surrounding areas and now I can’t wait to come back!”
TRIPADVISOR LAUNCHES NEW ROAD TRIP GUIDES
FOR VISITORS TO NSW
Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel platform, today announces a new campaign in partnership with Destination NSW that calls on travellers to Love NSW by taking a road trip and coming back to travel in a safe and sustainable way.
With summer right around the corner and travellers itching to get away, road trips are a no-brainer. A recent Tripadvisor COVID-19 sentiment study found that 48 per cent of Australians were excited to plan their next road trip. This new initiative will encourage and inspire local travellers to make plans for the holidays, booking road trips across the state, to discover all the wonders NSW has to offer.
From hotels to highlands, culture to charging stations, the campaign features a curated series of trip itineraries and articles full of recommendations, safety tips and guidance from travellers who have been to these must-visit NSW destinations before. This campaign has been designed to raise awareness of various multi-destination road trips and undiscovered gems across the state, encouraging holidaymakers to book their next great NSW escape.
“COVID-19 has indeed brought many disruptions to travel this year and our focus remains on keeping travellers around the world inspired and excited to return to travel safely,” said Sarah Mathews, Group Head of Destination Marketing for APAC, Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor has launched a contest to provide one lucky winner with the opportunity to road trip through NSW in a Tesla Model 3. Travellers will be asked to choose their dream NSW road trip from a selection of itineraries and explain their preference in 25 words or less. In addition to the car, the costs of accommodation and experiences expenses will be covered by Tripadvisor, and meals will be sponsored by contest partner, TheFork. To enter: https://www.tesla.com/en_au/campaign/nswroadtrips
