Royal visit ‘a free ad’ for Australia tourism
Prince Harry and new wife Meghan’s visit to Queensland and New South Wales has caused a spike in interest in travel to Australia, according to the tourist board.
Traffic to Australia.com surged 15% the week the royal couple arrived Down Under, while royal content on Tourism Australia’s social channels has clocked three million views during their tour
Travelbag has reported a 46% jump in searches for Australia in the same period.
The UK is one of Australia’s largest and most valuable tourism markets with over 740,000 visitors spending $3.5 billion per year in the destination.
Tourism Australia MD John O’Sullivan said having the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was tantamount to a free ad for Australian tourism.
"We live in a world of celebrity, no more so when it comes to the British royal family, whose visits Down Under always draw huge enthusiastic crowds and generate enormous global media coverage.
"Today, we have a whole new generation of UK young royals, who are beautiful, smart and hugely engaging. And with iconic photo ops so often integrated into the travelling itinerary, and with such a large international press corp covering their every move, these visits have very tangible tourism benefits, generating a whole new audience of travellers wanting to follow in the royals’ footsteps.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Australia in 2014 saw stunning TV pictures and photos of the royal couple in front of Uluru, visiting Taronga Zoo and the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains. These Australian tourism icons were beamed across the globe, providing free tourism promotion for our country. This latest visit by Harry and Meghan has been in similar vein, and with the added interest of the Invictus Games.
"It’s no surprise to me that there has been a surge in online searches reported for trips to Australia. And the fact that the announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first baby was made during this visit, well that was just the icing on the cake," he said.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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