A NEW Queensland tourism campaign has launched in China, with the state’s destination management organisation’s new brand platform ‘A Beautiful Way to Be’ introduced to its final market.
The campaign was recently revealed in Shanghai to 28 trade partners from throughout China as part of a Queensland mission to reconnect and encourage the country to return to the state.
The launch of the new brand platform will be supported by three campaigns with travel partners in North China, three in East China and five in South and Western China, starting this month.
A campaign will also run through Ctrip, the largest online travel agent in China, with more than 90 million users, while Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), in partnership with Tourism Australia, will host several key influencers in the state this month to further profile its experiences.
A ‘Queensland is Calling’ industry mission, led by TEQ, will then visit China in March, allowing tourism businesses to work directly with key international travel sellers.
TEQ is also working closely with both China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines to drive demand for their direct services into Brisbane.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also appointed two new ‘Friends of Queensland’, Mafengwo.com Chief Marketing Officer Zhuo Yu and travel blogger Alex Bao.
They will advocate for Queensland’s experiences and lifestyle through their media and consumer reach across China.
Three new advisors were also welcomed to TEQ’s China Industry Advisory Group, which provides market intel to the DMO and the state’s tourism industry.
“This China mission is showcasing Queensland’s incredible export industries and highlighting our world-class tourism offerings,” Palaszczuk said.
“China was Queensland’s biggest international tourism partner prior to 2020, so connecting with Chinese visitors is an extremely important part of growing our state’s visitor economy.
“Our promise to travellers is that they will love the great lifestyle and experiences you can find here – Queensland truly is ‘A Beautiful Way to Be’.”
Minister for Tourism Stirling Hinchliffe said ‘A Beautiful Way to Be’ is designed to tap into pent-up demand among Chinese visitors for Queensland’s great lifestyle and world-class tourism experiences.
“This campaign coincides with the Lunar New Year peak travel season and the launch of Palaszczuk government-backed direct flights to Brisbane from Shanghai and Guangzhou,” he said.
“With non-stop flights to Queensland and a new tourism campaign, the potential to super-charge the already strong return of Chinese visitors is enormous.
“More Chinese visitors enjoying Queensland’s bucket list experiences will be important for building back better with an $11 billion international visitor economy by 2032.”
TEQ Chief Executive Officer Patricia O’Callaghan added the industry has a bold goal of almost doubling international visitor expenditure by 2032 from 2019 numbers.
“Chinese travellers have always loved Queensland and their return will be critical to achieving that goal because the $2.9 billion we expect Chinese visitors will spend by 2032 will represent more than one quarter – 27 per cent – of total international visitor spend,” she said.
“The creative platform ‘A Beautiful Way to Be’ is aspirational, it puts our world-class experiences front and centre and we work with booking partners to turn that aspiration into booked Queensland holidays.
“Several campaigns will go live in coming weeks to really motivate this market, from marketing co-operatives with airlines to working with some of the biggest travel platforms in China.”
