Spring and summer of 2021/22 was another sizzling success for our regional tourism industry, with our Q2 & Q3 Activity Report, covering the period from October 2021 to March 2022, demonstrating another highly successful peak season for the region.
The period was a tumultuous time for Queensland, with interstate and then international borders opening and COVID outbreaks affecting travellers’ confidence levels. Bundaberg’s tourism industry, however, reported strong visitation across the region’s peak season with vacancies filled as soon as a cancellation was received – our region’s tourism industry kept the local economy buoyant as people continued to flock to experience our natural attractions, laid back lifestyle and iconic experiences.
Bundaberg Tourism’s summer campaign reached a record 15 million people and drove an estimated $9.8million in visitor expenditure to the region across the period from the commencement of Mon Repos Turtle Encounter ticket sales in September until the end of March.
Key campaign highlights included partnerships with major digital outlets TripAdvisor and Urban List, a full colour feature in national family travel magazine Out & About With Kids, large billboards across South East Queensland, and strong social media promotions, primarily aimed at the region’s core target markets of South East Queensland and the populations within a 400km drive of Bundaberg and the North Burnett.
Thanks to additional state government funding, the Bundaberg region was celebrated worldwide as we promoted the launch of three new products – Lady Musgrave HQ pontoon, Macadamias Australia’s new Visitor Centre and Splitters Farm’s unique accommodation offering.
We delivered a record amount of international media coverage worth over $400million; large-scale editorial coverage in a large number of media outlets, including a front cover of the Courier Mail, across Australia through The Australian, Escape and Traveller, and international publications including the BBC, the New Zealand Herald, Lonely Planet and the Independent UK.
The region was also featured on Channel Nine’s lifestyle show My Way, which shared the stories of Peter Gash on Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, and the Steinhardt family of Macadamias Australia, with over 2 million people tuning in across the 2022 season.
Our first partnership with Triple M with the Staycation promotion across the Bundaberg region was also highly successful, reaching large numbers across the region to remind them of the must-dos of our extraordinary region in the lead up to the Christmas school holidays and the arrival of friends and family across the summer.
With domestic and international destinations competing intensely for the attention of our audiences again, the visibility Bundaberg Tourism and our industry have driven for the region over the past two years will continue to underpin our work in keeping us front of mind for travel intenders across the coming years through memorable marketing campaigns.
The full October 2021 – March 2022 Activity Report can be found at bundabergregion.org/corporate/tourism-strategy
