We’re emerging from a global pandemic bruised, but with a newfound sense of community and national pride. But it’s not yet translating to domestic travel dollars - right now, only 1 in 3 plan to spend the same amount travelling domestically as they would if they were to head overseas. Marketers all have a big job to do to convince Australians that our destinations aren’t just places, but unrivaled cultural experiences. We need to flip the switch and show them what the rest of the world sees: something exotic and untapped.

Founder and CEO of Urban List, Susannah George, has co-created Urban Insights, a joint venture from Urban List, Nature and The Lab, Australia’s leading voices in culture and research. Their first report, Wanderlust of Wanderbust: Travel Marketing In A New Australia, surveys over 1,600 Aussies between the ages of 18-50+ years old and interviews travel industry experts. Exploring these findings, Susannah will reveal how we can shift the perception, ditch the cultural cringe and own our spotlight as a place that’s every bit worthy of our time and spend.

Launching a tourism campaign amid the suspension of international travel is either bad luck or a bad idea. But thanks to a clever concept and quick thinking, Tourism New Zealand’s “PLAY NZ” cut through COVID to present to the world a country via a medium many Australians were engaging: a video game.

As families spent more time playing together – both with and without screen time -  PLAY NZ showed off New Zealand using the visual language of first-person video games, complete with score tokens and button prompts as it was “played” by a gaming streamer. The campaign, 18 months in the making, pivoted where necessary to further tap into the screen-bound environment of the time while successfully extolling the outdoor excitement and experiences of New Zealand’s landscape, priming the country for travel’s bubble to open and, eventually, the world’s international borders.

Join Andrew Waddel, general manager of Tourism New Zealand – Australia and Katrina Alvarez-Jarratt , creative director of TBWA Sydney, as they reveal the concept, strategy and execution of this campaign and discuss how plans worked with pivots to create a timely and innovative experience.

2020 was a challenging year for many industries, arguably none more so than for the tourism industry. As airlines were grounded and borders closed, the industry faced a once-in-a-lifetime reckoning. 

As a result, tourism around the world had to pivot – and pivot swiftly – or go under. Following the change in cookie usage to manage prospect data and measure ad effectiveness, Tourism Australia created TAiD, a unique traveller ID that pairs Tourism Australia data with data from state tourism organisations and travel data partners. This first-of-its kind data platform allows the Aussie tourism industry to better connect with potential travellers in their own backyard, helping them quickly redress their tourist shortfalls. 

Paul Bailey, general manager of digital strategy and transformation at Tourism Australia, and Maurice Riley, chief data officer of Australia and New Zealand for Digitas Australia, will discuss how to execute more exact audience targeting to reach local travellers, and better prepare for the return of international tourism.