The Big Mango mystery: Suspects named
Suspects have been named in the disappearance of a 10-metre tall, 7-tonne Big Mango in northern Queensland.
The mango was hoisted and taken away on a crane in the early hours of Monday morning – but nobody in the town of Bowen heard a thing. Apparently.
A fast-food chain, believed to be Nando’s, is behind the “theft” of the tourism icon after posting a video on YouTube revealing how it completed the stunt.
In a statement, the company thanked the people of Bowen for “being good sports about us ‘borrowing’ their beautiful mango”.
The chairman of the Bowen Tourism Board, Paul McLaughlin, denied orchestrating the mango’s disappearance even though it appears he was in on the successful viral marketing stunt.
Neil Stone, who works for a local crane company, said the mango was hidden in bushland about 500 metres away from its home at the Bowen Visitor Information Centre.
“It’s 10-metres high and seven metres wide. It’s a bit hard to hide,” he said.
Guardian Australia said it linked a Bowen Tourism press release about the missing attraction to Sydney marketing company Banjo Advertising.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025