The South Australian Tourism Commission has today launched a recovery campaign for the regions devastated by bushfires in South Australia. The campaign coincides with the arrival of the first large cruise ship to Kangaroo Island since the fires that ravaged the island.
The campaign, “Help them out, #BookThemOut”, focuses on encouraging tourists to visit both the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island, to boost bookings and reinvigorate the local economies by spending in their regions.
Working in partnership with industry, the campaign is designed to encourage people locally, as well as those interstate, to travel (‘book out’) the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island for a holiday, short stay or experience.
While these regions are our immediate focus, it is important to note that tourism across the country has taken a hit following recent events and that there is a flow-on impact. This campaign is a critical, immediate step forward in the sector’s long-term recovery.
Help them out, #BookThemOut sends a strong message that the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island remain amazing, unique holiday destinations with incredible consumer experiences, and these regions need tourism to thrive and survive. Tourists can play a big part in helping these regions get back on their feet by sharing their experiences on social networks.
The SATC has been working with Kangaroo Island’s local operators, businesses, the KI Tourism Food Wine and Beverage Association, as well as emergency services and relevant government agencies, to ensure it is the right time to resume ship arrivals and the people on the ground are ready to welcome the 2,000 passengers onboard the Sun Princess. We’ve listened to the island community and have heard overwhelmingly, they are actively encouraging the return of the cruise ships to the island.
It was heartening to hear that when it was announced to Sun Princess passengers by the ship’s captain that they would be calling into Kangaroo Island, there were cheers of support from both the passengers and the crew. They are eager to visit the island and support the businesses there.
Tourism and visitation play such a vital role in all 11 of our state’s regions, and our immediate focus on KI and the Adelaide Hills will help get the message out that all of South Australia is “open for business”. We’ve also been working with tourism operators in the Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Hills Tourism and the Adelaide Hills Council particularly in the lead up to the Santos Tour Down Under and ahead of next week’s annual Crush Festival.
The #BookThemOut campaign is being launched today across TV, press and outdoor, as well as digital and social media platforms, with a large part of the campaign driven through social media, user-generated content and PR. Watch the first ad here.
For more information and how you can share this message, please visit southaustralia.com