Gold Coast campaign says the region is ‘ready to play’ as debate rages about opening borders
The Gold Coast is ramping up its destination marketing despite interstate travel remaining a topic of fierce political debate.
Intrastate travel will be allowed from 12 June, however visitors from other states remain locked out due to COVID-19. Despite the ban, the Gold Coast has created a campaign which says “Let’s play again soon” to all Australians.
A video released on social media and Taboola aims to show the ‘quintessential Gold Coast spirit’ and highlights some of the key tourist attractions including Sea World, the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Bam Bam Bakehouse and restaurant Justin Lane.
The Gold Coast tourism sector is reportedly worth $6bn a year and last year the region drew 14.2m visitors.
The impact of lost tourism to the Gold Coast has become a central argument in the debate about the state’s borders, particularly ahead of the July school holidays.
Destination Gold Coast estimates that keeping the Queensland border closed until September would cost the Gold Coast an extra $500m over two months at a minimum.
Destination Gold Coast CEO, Annaliese Battista, said: “With so much discussion around the Gold Coast this week, we wanted to showcase all the incredible things that make us such a favourite family-friendly destination – our beautiful scenery, playful experiences, delicious food and beverages, but also the incredible friendly faces.
“It’s encouraging to see the positive spirit and tenacity of our operators during this challenging time. The creativity and resilience we have seen from locals has been inspiring and will continue to ensure we provide a world-class experience to our visitors as travel restrictions ease.”
A dedicated version of the video is also being released to target New Zealanders in light of a potential trans-Tasman travel bubble.
The Gold Coast is not the only region in Queensland that has begun a marketing push for tourism. The past two weeks has seen campaigns arise from Tourism Whitsundays and Visit Sunshine Coast.
