Selling Australia’s Gold Coast
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Australia’s Gold Coast has long proven a popular destination with visiting Brits. Here, Michael Thurston outlines the region’s key selling points for UK agents.
TDUK: How is the Gold Coast currently performing as a destination for Brits?
We have witnessed a strong improvement in visitor numbers from the UK over the last two years. As the value of Sterling has increased versus the Australian dollar and with an increased marketing presence in the UK over this period we have seen increases of 4% in 2013 and a 6% increase in 2014. More than 62,000 Brits visited the Gold Coast in 2014 making the UK the third largest inbound market for our destination. We are very confident that we will experience even greater increases in 2015 with the Gold Coast and Australia in general representing better value now than this time last year.
Additionally we have recently run two large campaigns. One of the campaigns was the Big Reunion with Flight Centre that included a launch on ITV’s Surprise Surprise and ITV also broadcast live crosses on Australia Day and the week prior for Good Morning Britain. The second campaign with STA Travel and the handover at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to the Gold Coast, which will stage the next event in 2018, also greatly improved our profile in the UK.
What initiatives do you have in place to educate the trade and consumers about what the Gold Coast has to offer?
Over the coming year we will continue to support a variety of media famils and events on the Gold Coast as they enable us to showcase the amazing lifestyle and diversity on offer.
We will continue to run a series of major campaigns with our leading trade partners and Tourism & Events Queensland. Where possible we have looked to incorporate online training modules for the trade in conjunction with our campaigns and in-depth product training.
What’s new on the Gold Coast that the UK trade should know about?
The first stage of the Gold Coast light rail – the G Link – has opened travelling from Southport through Surfers Paradise and down to Broadbeach. It is a fantastic service that runs every seven minutes connecting many of the destinations main attractions and has proven extremely popular with international visitors who do not wish to rent a car.
With the huge array of attractions on the Gold Coast there is always something new on the market. The region’s five theme parks launched four new attractions over the last month. Additionally they continue to evolve the passes they offer that provide greater value and flexibility for international consumers.
Jupiters Resort Gold Coast has started a huge $350 million renovation that will ultimately see a new 6-star tower built. The first stage is complete with the dining venues have a complete overhaul and the pool area renovated with private cabanas, day beds and a new music system added. Across the road Pacific Fair shopping centre has finished the first phase of a $650 million renovation that will ultimately see it become the largest shopping centre in Queensland. These projects will see in excess of $1 billion spent across the two complexes that neighbour each other.
The Australian PGA golf championship has returned to the Gold Coast teeing off in early December.
A major three-hotel complex called the jewel and the First Banyan Tree Hotel in Australia are also under construction.
What’s your plan for getting people to stay longer on the Gold Coast during their Oz trip?
A key component of our recent campaigns and work with trade over the last two years has been to demonstrate the diversity of experience on offer on the Gold Coast. We have endeavoured to get our trade partners to showcase a greater diversity of experiences that better reflect the unique nature of our destination.
The Gold Coast has more attractions than any other destination in the southern hemisphere and one of the highest concentrations of attractions in the world.
Our city has all of the best aspects of Australia in one destination. With 50 miles of stunning coastline, over 100,000 hectares of rainforest, a huge variety of attractions covering just about any water and adventure sport that you can think of, five amusement parks, world class surfing and events and 300 days of sunshine you start to get the idea that the possibilities are virtually endless on the Gold Coast.
UK visitors already stay for 12 nights on the Gold Coast but we feel with the greater understanding of what our destination has to offer we can significantly increase this figure.
What are the challenges and opportunities going forward to get more UK business to the Gold Coast?
It is an increasingly competitive global market so it is always a challenge for each country and the respective regions to get their share of attention. We are confident that we have forged some extremely productive working relationships with our trade partners and feel that our campaigns for the coming year can be even more impactful than those run last year. We will continue to showcase the diversity of experiences and quintessentially Aussie lifestyle that is offer on the Gold Coast.
With the next Commonwealth Games coming to the Gold Coast in 2018 we have a tremendous opportunity to showcase our destination to the travelling public. The Games and the practice events in the lead up to 2018 will showcase the stunning environment that we live in and highlight why the Gold Coast is the place where Australians most commonly go on holidays. The venues such as the revamped aquatic centre in Southport utilise the natural assets that they are surrounded by to increase the spectacle and audiences’ enjoyment.
If you could give a list of top five selling tips for the Gold Coast, what would they be?
The Gold Coast offers all of the best aspects of Australia in one destination. Try your hand at surfing, drive a race-car, sample the endless dining on offer, charter a boat and explore the broadwater or just relax and soak in the endless stunning scenery.
- With more attractions than any other destination in the southern hemisphere we can cater for all types of clientele.
- Although Surfers Paradise is the best-known region on the Gold Coast there are a wide variety of alternatives that offer differentiated experiences. The following regions are also extremely popular with UK travellers:
– The southern tip of the Gold Coast centred around Coolangatta is a surfing mecca with half the world tour including Kelly Slater living in the area.
– Additionally the area has produced the last two male world champions and six-time women’s world champion, Steph Gilmour.
– Burleigh Heads offers a funky surf village vibe with a stunning beach, national park and quality dining.
– Broadbeach, just south of Surfers, offers a cosmopolitan setting with endless dining entertainment and once again a stunning beach.
- Don’t forget the hinterland! It offers amazing scenery and a fantastic diversion from days at the beach. With wide variety of food and wine trails to explore and quality product like O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat that is widely brochure in the UK it is great addition to the core Gold Coast experience.
- Check out our calendar of events on our UK website www.visitgoldcoast.co.uk
- The Gold Coast has a host of world-class sporting events including the first event of the world surfing tour, a variety of free outdoor music and arts events and a host of other colourful events that showcase the life on the Gold Coast.
Zara Phillips is the patron of the Magic Millions horse racing carnival bringing some international appeal and a touch of royalty to the event. Many are free to attend and enable the agent to provide their clients with some tips they are not likely to gain from purchasing online.
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