In anticipation of tourism restrictions being lifted, the Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Goldfields regions of Western Australia have launched a domestic tourism campaign.
The campaign launched with an eight-minute documentary following Stirling resident Toni Barnett visiting the region to trace her family history.
The campaign is the result of a partnership between regional tourism organisation Australia’s Golden Outback and the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society, which put a call out to applicants with family connections to the region to win an experience to visit the area and trace their history.
Devised by Perth-based Wanderlust Communications and produced by Lush The Content Agency, the documentary has also been cut down to a 30-second teaser to be distributed online.
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Amy Gough, managing director of Wanderlust Communications, said despite the pandemic, the launch of the campaign went ahead to inspire people travel to the region when the time is right.
“We really wanted to highlight this historic side of the Goldfields with this campaign. So many people have a connection to this place, and it made sense to appeal to this curiosity and get people thinking about their own history. We wanted to create some interesting, long-form content to support the campaign, so the idea of opening the experience up to the public, then creating a documentary was the perfect way to do this. Not only does the viewer get transported to the Goldfields and invested in Toni’s story, but they also start to imagine themselves doing the same thing.
“We could never have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic, but even in these uncertain times, especially for tourism, we feel this documentary will help entertain and inspire people – hopefully encouraging them to travel when the time is right,” Gough said.
Australia’s Golden Outback CEO, Marcus Falconer, said the history of the Goldfields could position it as a ‘tourism Mecca’.
“It’s a place that’s obviously incredibly rich in history and anyone with connections to the Goldfields can engage the services of the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society to go on their own journey of discovery,” Falconer said.
“More and more we’re finding that people have a real curiosity about their ancestral past and want to visit the places they are connected to. And right now, whilst people are stuck at home, there’s no better time to do the research and plan a trip to the Goldfields.
“Given that at the time of the Goldfields gold rush, it’s estimated that approximately 120,000 people from more than 30 countries flocked to the region, added to fact there has been over 125 years of continual gold production since, the Goldfields could become an ancestry tourism Mecca.
“Another objective of the campaign is for it to act as a catalyst for developing an enhanced ancestry tourism experience through the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society, which the Goldfields’ tourism industry can engage with to attract more visitors. With support from Regional Development Australia Goldfields Esperance, Australia’s Golden Outback will be conducting an initial feasibility evaluation,” Falconer added.
The campaign has launched via digital marketing and social media. People will then be retargeted with articles, blogs and potential itineraries for their own trips to the region.