Japanese television soapie snub
A report in Goldcoast.com.au says that the Federal Opposition has slammed Tourism Minister Fran Bailey for yet again overlooking the Gold Coast in her zeal to have a Japanese television soapie filmed at ‘dead’ locations such as the Opera House, Uluru and the Great Ocean Road.
Despite thousands of Japanese teenagers swarming to the Gold Coast every year to learn to surf and have a surfing holiday here, the images to be beamed back to Japan will be the same as they can see on tourism brochures.
Tourism bosses are calling for expressions of interest to film the new Japanese soapie on Australian shores.
Federal Opposition tourism spokesman Martin Ferguson said yesterday Mrs Bailey had run out of ideas. He said her unwanted influence at Tourism Australia was creating ‘terrible inconsistencies’ in its marketing approach, particularly in Japan.
“Tourism is of fundamental importance to the economic prosperity of the Gold Coast,” he said.
“The last thing the Gold Coast needs is our tourism bosses ramming home dead ideas through a Japanese TV soap opera.
“Tourism Australia recently re-jigged its advertising campaign in Japan to focus on the wilderness and national heritage areas.” “Surely we need some consistency on this rather than the Minister getting involved to shore up her petty self promotion.”
“I would have thought there was a strong case for a soap opera that focuses on the Gold Coast.”
“Tourism Australia is best positioned to decide how we promote places like the Gold Coast, rather than the Minister, who isn’t aware of its appeal to younger people.”
Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Pavan Bhatia said the body would lodge an expression of interest with Tourism Australia to have the soapie filmed, at least in part, on the Gold Coast, adding, “We are really concentrating on bringing the Japanese back and that would be a great vehicle for us”.
The idea for a Japanese soapie was first floated in May by Mrs Bailey who got the idea from a popular Japanese book in which a group of Japanese travellers explore the Australian bush. She hopes to duplicate the flow of British tourists who have been lured to Australia by the popularity of Aussie soap Neighbours.
The Government move comes amid an aggressive push to lure more Japanese visitors to Australia, after numbers halved in the past decade because of the dollar’s strength and the accessibility of China and other Asian countries.
“This is an extremely important example of product placement to make Australia the hot destination for Japanese travellers to visit for their next holiday,” said Bailey.
“Experience has shown that entertainment like TV and movies are enormously powerful tools for destination promotion.”
The economic value of international tourism to Australia increased by $2.1 billion to reach $22.6 billion in 2006-07.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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