Bundaberg continues to stand out as a destination of choice for travellers, with tourism industry insights from July – September 2021 released today by Bundaberg Tourism demonstrating another quarter of sustained growth across the region.
Bundaberg was already seeing record visitation prior to COVID, and over the past 18 months, tourists have flocked to the region at levels that secured Bundaberg as one of the state’s most successful destinations in the face of the devastation of the pandemic.
Bundaberg Tourism’s July-Sept 2021 Activity Report gives further confidence to the region that this growth will continue in line with state and international borders opening and travel confidence returning to Australia.
Reef and rum were on the nation’s radars across the recent July to September period, with Bundaberg’s tourism media coverage reaching more than 318 million people worldwide and resulting in more than $25million of advertising value equivalency. Lady Musgrave Experience, Lady Elliot Island and Bundaberg Rum were among the experiences featured in national and international publications including The Australian – Weekend, Q Weekend and the Sunday Mail, Traveller, Escape, Qantas Magazine, Executive Traveller and the Daily Mail.
The region’s first major Culinary Campaign concluded at the end of August and reached over 25 million people, expanding the Bundaberg region’s reputation as a food and drink destination of choice, rich in quality culinary offerings for trend-setting travellers.
Highlights of the campaign included a partnership with Channel 7’s hit new TV show Travel + Eat with Dan and Steph; a major social media campaign which reached more that 17 million people; and collaborations with social media influencers including Nadine Muller and Danielle Porter of Little Sherpa Travels.
September saw the commencement of the annual Summer Campaign which reached over 1 million people in the first 30 days, with partnerships with national publications Urban List, Out & About With Kids and TripAdvisor commencing and considerable digital and social media activity.
Katherine Reid, Bundaberg Tourism CEO, said, “The first quarter of this financial year threw up a few challenges including lockdowns across South-East Queensland, NSW and Victoria, which affected our local industry. However, many operators reported that they were filling rooms almost as quickly as they received cancelations.”
“The region continued to grow our share of voice with sustained marketing campaigns by Bundaberg Tourism, Tourism and Events Queensland and our local industry in market across winter and national media coverage keeping us front of mind for travel intenders across the state and Australia,” Ms Reid said.
“The commencement of Mon Repos Turtle Encounter ticket sales kick off our Summer Campaign and are an excellent indicator of the months ahead. 2021 brought great confidence for a bumper summer with a record-breaking first day of sales and considerable increases in bookings and interest to the region’s operators.”
“An influx of tourists across summer is good not just for our traditional tourism businesses like accommodation and attractions but for the whole community. Visitors inject millions of dollars a day of new money into the economy, supporting over 5000 jobs and contributing to many diverse industries across the region.”
Bundaberg Tourism activity is made possible by funding from the Queensland government, through Tourism & Events Queensland and locally from Bundaberg Regional Council.
The full July - September 2021 Activity Report can be found here.
