Welcome members, to the Corporate website for the Carnarvon Visitor Centre. We have been extremely active in the destination marketing and visitor servicing space, we lacked to share some of the exciting projects we were working on.
Instead of sending a number of emails, we have decided to create this Corporate website for all the members to seek more information about what we are up to at the Visitor Centre. You can then refer back to the website at anytime to read about some of the exciting projects we have been working on.
It's been an interesting start to 2020, with the recent bushfires in Australia and the outbreak of the Coronavirus which has significantly impacted tourism in Australia, and across the world. Tourism Council of WA conducted a survey of tourism businesses to assess the impact of the perception of the bushfires on WA tourism. The survey was conducted on from Monday 20 January to Friday 24 February 2020, the survey received 183 responses.
IMPACT ON TOURISM
Overall, 33% of respondents report no impact at all, while 67% report one or more of the following:
37% reported concerned enquiries from booked or potential customers.
33% reported reduced forward bookings compared with same time last year.
26% reported cancellations.
18% reported reduced traffic to their destination or business website.
CHANNELS MOST IMPACTED
Overall, 32% report that no visitor channel is impacted. The channels most affected were:
36% booking direct (FIT)
24% booking via multistate tours
17% booking through OTAs
17% booking through ITOs/wholesalers
11% booking through organised WA tours
MARKETS MOST IMPACTED
Overall, 32% report that no visitor market or channel is impacted, while 68% report one or more markets impacted. The markets most impacted are:
26% self-drive market
23% international - UK
23% interstate
22% international - Europe
20% international - South East Asia
13% international - North America
12% international - Japan or China
DESTINATIONS MOST IMPACTED
78% Experience Perth
77% Australia’s Golden Outback
74% Australia’s South West
67% Australia’s North West
65% Australia’s Coral Coast
Click here to view the full report on the bushfire impact from the WA Tourism Pulse.
WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
We are pleased to advise the Shire of Carnarvon council passed a motion to provide an additional $15,000 to the Area Promotion budget to support Tourism Australia's domestic campaign, 'Holiday Here This Year'. The campaign encourages Australians to get out there and see their own backyard. Whether it be a weekend away near home, a trip to another state or discovering somewhere in Australia they’ve always wanted to visit.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
1. COMMIT TO THE HOLIDAY HERE THIS YEAR MESSAGE
Download the custom toolkit. It’s got everything you need to know about the campaign and how to integrate Holiday Here This Year into your marketing.
2. SPREAD THE WORD
Let everyone know you’re open for business by posting on social media with #HolidayHereThisYear.
3. SHOW AUSTRALIANS YOUR LITTLE BIT OF AUSTRALIA
Join the Facebook event and engage with the posts by commenting and sharing photos and information about your business.
MARKETING UPDATE
SOCIAL MEDIA
We are excited to celebrate the reach of 24,000 followers of Instagram and 5,600 likes on Facebook. We have been extremely strategic and engaging with the content published. We have launched a number of digital campaigns focusing on the following:
- Whale Shark Season in Coral Bay
- Gascoyne Hinterland travel - Carnarvon to Mt Augustus
- Caravanning in WA TV Series - Carnarvon Feature - re-purposed to digital advertising campaign
- Wildlife in Carnarvon and surrounds
- Gwoonwardu Mia reopening
Approximately $800 spent on digital advertising, with a reach of 145,000 people, post engagement of 26,500 and click through rate of 980 to the www.carnarvon.org.au website for the month of January and February, just from digital advertising.
WHY WE HAVE FOCUSED ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
Social Media is the largest form of advertising for the tourism industry, it is also is a free platform and cost effective way of getting out the message about the things you can do and see in the region. Hashtags have assisted us to reach a number of key consumers interested in traveling to Western Australia.
Organic reach has been extremely significant, with a reach of up to 15,000 people daily across Instagram and Facebook.
DIGITAL
We recently partnered with Australia's Coral Coast on their SoPerth Campaign for the Coral Coast Highway. Click here to view the feature.
CONSUMER SHOWS
We recently attended the Melbourne Caravan and Camping Show (20 - 24 February) with Caravan Industry Association of WA on their 'Caravan and Camping WA' consumer brand stand, which receives an attendance of just over 45,000.
We distributed 800 destination guides for Carnarvon and Coral Bay, with opportunity to have distributed more with the spike in interest in Western Australia.
WHERE TO FIND US NEXT?
- Mandurah Crab Fest in partnership with Sweeter Banana and Buy West Eat Best (Brochure display only) - 14 & 15 March
- Perth Caravan and Camping Show in the Australia's Coral Coast stand (Representation) - 18 - 22 March
- Floreat Forum Activation Space with Buy West Eat Best (Representation) - 21 March
- Sydney Caravan and Camping Show (Brochure display) with Caravan Industry Association of WA - 27 April - 3 May
COLLABORATIONS
We recently collaborated with Alex Kydd and Alfred Minnaar who are professional underwater photographers and videographers. The collaboration was in partnership with Coral Coast Helicopter Services who provided a unique tour showcasing the marine life off the coast of Carnarvon. Collaboration included content creation, article possible feature opportunities in The Times London, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, UNILAD and LadBible. The channels currently heavily focus on Coral Bay and Exmouth, the features will create further dispersal for a niche market interested in diving and marine life.
EXCITING NEWS - We are participating in a cooperative marketing opportunity for the Caravan and Camping Show. 10,000 showbags will feature the 2020 Carnarvon Events Guide as part of This Life Events campaign. Click here to view a copy.
THIS LIFE EVENTS CAMPAIGN
This Life Events 2020 builds on the success of 2019’s line-up and offers a diverse programme of enticing events and activities,from windsurfing to gourmet food nights,concerts to fishing competitions. In terms of the breadth of what’s on offer, This Life Events 2020 has been designed to attract visitors to the region who might come for one event but end up discovering so much more during their stay.
2019 This Life Events campaign reached more than 1.5 million people across Digital, Print, Radio and TV. In 2020, we aim to reach 2 million.
You can see the full list of events participating in the campaign in 2020 here.
UPCOMING MARKETING activities
- Australia's Coral Coast Coral Coast Highway feature in the West Australian - 21 March
- Family Holidays in WA with Buggy Buddys Perth - includes email feature 50,000 Perth families and Facebook post - March
- PR Agency engagement focus on the Kickstarters Gascoyne Dash & Carnar-Fin Fishing Comp (This Life Events Campaign) - March
- Digital Marketing Campaign launch - Easter Long Weekend in Carnarvon - March
- Print features - Midwest Times and Pilbara News - Easter Long Weekend/ Kickstarters Gascoyne Dash - March
Opportunities are appearing daily for our region, within budget we are always interested, ensuring it is targeting the right market for Carnarvon and Coral Bay. We are excited to share our March members update with you soon.
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