Tourism Australia has launched a new scheme to lure thousands of British gap year students to the country. Picking up on the hike in tuition fees at UK universities, the Aussie tourism body is using Facebook to encourage students to heading Down Under on a working holiday visa.
The new online campaign, called ’30 Days in Oz’, launched on 1st August, and includes a series of 30 one-minute videos showcasing the day in the life of UK backpackers in Australia. On the day the A-level results are announced, Tourism Australia will launch a competition on its Facebook page offering young Brits the chance to win their own gap year adventure.
Tourism Australia’s General Manager for the UK & Northern Europe, Rodney Harrex commented; “We’re encouraging school leavers that missed out on a university place to catch up with other backpackers as they share their stories, and then to use the information on our Facebook page to start planning their own gap year adventure.
“The working holiday visa provides young people with the opportunity to supplement their travels with incidental work, meaning they gain life experiences and earn some cash while having an amazing extended holiday.”
Charlie Leahy, Creative & Commercial Executive at Zodiak Active, which produced the ’30 Days in Oz’ series, added; “This is a really exciting project for us and we are very proud to be working with Tourism Australia. At a time when many young people will be left disappointed at not securing a university place this year, we’re able to show them what adventures can be had in Australia through this innovative use of Tourism Australia’s Facebook page.”
Tourism Australia noted that for the 12 months ending 30 June 2011, there has been a 5.4% increase in the number of working holiday visas granted to British citizens.
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