First coordinated effort across South and South East Asian markets targets the growing pool of travellers across India, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
Tourism Australia and the Federal Government have taken the wrapper off a fresh $10 million campaign for the South and South east Asian markets aimed at challenging perceptions of what a holiday down under means as a tourist.
Launched by the new Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Simon Birmingham, on 1 September, the ‘UnDiscover Australia’ campaign is pitched at high-value travellers across India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and showcases some of the more unusual and remote attractions and experiences available to those coming into the country on holiday. Its ultimate aim is to challenge stereotypes about Australia.
For example, Tourism Australia noted 86 per cent of Indian consumers, 88 per cent of Malaysian consumers, 82 per cent of Singaporean consumers and 84 per cent of Indonesians think Australia is all about cute, furry animals. It also noted consumer research showed 81 per cent of Indians and 86 per cent of Singaporeans think the country is just about beaches, while 80 per cent of Malaysian consumers and 59 per cent of Indonesians don’t consider Australia to be a foodie destination.
To combat such views, sites being highlights in the campaign include the Field of Light installation at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, rooftop climbing across the top of the Adelaide Oval, hot air ballooning in Canberra, Melbourne’s art-filled laneways, and food experiences in Tasmania.
The tourism body positioned the latest campaign as an evolution of its ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ campaign, which is backed by state and territory tourism organisations nationally, as well as airlines and distribution partners. It’s also the first time the South and South East Asian regions have been targeted as part of a unified campaign approach.
Among the media executions being used are influencer partnerships, social media marketing and multimedia content. These are being supported by what Tourism Australia is calling an ‘airline marketplace’, which brings airlines and travel agents together to offer fare packages as well as promote the new campaign.
“Fashion-ability plays a big part in destination choice, particularly amongst travellers in Asia,” Tourism Australia managing director, John O’Sullivan, said. “One of the challenges we constantly face is that people from this region feel they know everything about us. This campaign will shine a spotlight on some of our undiscovered and hidden holiday gems, showing there’s much more to Australia than just our well-known icons.”
‘UnDiscovered Australia’ is initially running for four months and could be extended to additional Asian markets depending on how it’s received. The work was done in partnership with Clemenger BBDO and UM.
In his speech, Birmingham noted India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia accounted for more than 1.3 million international arrivals annually, bringing $5 billion into the local economy. The emerging middle class in these nations, as well as the region’s proximity, growing aviation routes all presented opportunities to share these figures, he said.
“A forward-looking tourism industry here in Australia that wants to jump on new opportunities and tap into new markets is good for Australian tourism businesses and in turn, helps to create more jobs for Australians,” he stated.
Birmingham said the campaign is all about showing off Australia’s wider array of offerings.
“While we still want travellers to visit our hotspots, we also want them to spend an extra few days or week to visit some of our more untapped regions, such as Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia or the beautiful lavender farms in Tasmania,” he said.
Check out CMO's profile of Tourism Australia CMO, Lisa Ronson, here.
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