“So Where The Bloody Hell Are You” campaign failed for Victoria
The Victorian Government will launch their new 10-year tourism strategy this morning, saying that national tourism strategies including the “So where the bloody hell are you?” campaign have failed to promote Victoria and must be overhauled.
The Victorian document is scathing of the $180 million “So where the bloody hell are you?” campaign saying that the focus on bikini-clad models and beaches image of Australia that was at odds with Victoria’s assets, asking, “Can campaigns that ask ‘So Where The Bloody Hell Are You?’, for instance, attract travellers to Victoria’s wineries and Melbourne’s shopping and food precincts?”
Victoria has said it will seek greater influence over Tourism Australia future marketing campaigns.
Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey has defended the campaign, saying “it is not about state parochialism, but what works in selling Australia”.
The Strategy will also nominate China as Victoria’s new priority market, with State Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos saying Asian markets would provide the biggest growth in international visitors to Victoria, with wealthy Chinese tourists accounting for 19 per cent of all visitors by 2016, up from 9 per cent now.
The Strategy will also call for increased private investment in the State’s tourism assets, announcing the creation of a new Tourism and Events Advisory Council.
The State Government will be calling a summit early next year to investigate the devastating impact that high petrol prices, low-cost international air fares and other factors are currently having and will have in the future on tourism in regional Victoria.
Post script comment by The Mole:
Do you agree with this ongoing State/Federal dailogue/banter or are you becoming tired of it?
Do you think that the current State/Federal Tourism structure is the right one to grow this vital industry?
Should we continue with the current range of State and Federal of organisations or should we maximise our investment and reduce budget absorbtion by having one new national tourism organisation?
Please let The Mole have your views NOW by clicking on the COMMENTS button below.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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