Results are in from Townsville Enterprise’s new destination brand launch – Up for Unexpected.
The campaign and new brand which launched in February is outperforming all targets.
Townsville Enterprise Director of Visitor Economy and Marketing, Lisa Woolfe said the region’s destination awareness is up 166 per cent since the campaign launch.
“The biggest result here is that 70 per cent of people who saw the advertising and campaign creative took action towards booking a holiday here,” Mrs Woolfe said.
“Whether that was booking a flight, googling Townsville North Queensland or visiting the destination website, seven out of 10 people took action from seeing our new brand and campaign in market, which is an incredible result.
“This brand uplift study provides vital research and insights into our campaign activity. It demonstrates that our new destination brand and creative is working.
“We’ve just had the Supercars zoom into town, hosted a record-breaking Women’s State of Origin, broke record numbers through our airport and are seeing accommodation forward bookings ahead of last year. Townsville North Queensland continues to go from strength to strength and our marketing efforts don’t stop now.”
The Up for Unexpected brand and campaign was made possible with industry support as well as State Government funding from Tourism and Events Queensland.
Tourism and Events Queensland Chief Executive Officer Patricia O’Callaghan welcomed the impact the campaign has made.
“We’re now operating in an incredibly competitive market as Aussies look offshore for their next holiday, so this campaign was well-timed and has made a meaningful impact,” Ms O’Callaghan said.
“It is wonderful to see seven in 10 people taking action towards booking a Townsville trip when they saw the campaign and we know Townsville’s experiences speak for themselves once people start to look.
“We’re hearing positive feedback from operators across the region from the recent school holiday period and events have also been a big driver of visitation here.
“We’re proud to be working closely with Townsville Enterprise Limited and local operators to share Townsville’s unexpected experiences and bring more visitors here which supports the local economy and tourism jobs.”
Acting Mayor Mark Molachino said it was good news for Townsville’s economy.
“Tourism is a growth industry for our region, and it is exciting to see more people are taking notice of the visitation opportunities here in North Queensland,” Cr Molachino said.
“The increased visitation to our city means increased trade for our accommodation providers, tourism operators, restaurant owners and retailers.
“It is great to see our region being showcased to people right across Australia and to see more holidaymakers look to make Townsville their next destination.”
SeaLink General Manager, Darren Spearman said they were delighted to partner with Townsville Enterprise in launching the exciting new brand – Up for Unexpected.
“This fresh, dynamic, and professional brand has played a pivotal role in highlighting the Townsville North Queensland region as an attractive tourist hotspot,” Mr Spearman said.
“By integrating the Up for Unexpected branding with our revamped SeaLink national website and Townsville Enterprise attracting significant ongoing events to the region, we have witnessed a remarkable surge in visitor numbers to our exquisite region.
“SeaLink eagerly anticipates further growth for the Townsville North Queensland region and reaffirms our steadfast support as ardent advocates of Up for Unexpected.”
The campaign continues with airline, social media and traditional marketing targeting potential visitors in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and regional drive markets.
