Australia Targets American Travellers With National Geographic Campaign

The Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) has signed an exclusive deal with National Geographic to launch Australia's largest ever integrated tourism campaign targeting American travellers.

Starting in the United States and Canada from this weekend, the new campaign features major promotions in National Geographic's Traveler and Adventure magazines, a special television series on the National Geographic Channel, as well as a dedicated internet site on Australia on nationalgeographic.com.

ATC Managing Director, Ken Boundy, said the new promotion with National Geographic is part of a $10 million dollar advertising blitz in America - the biggest ever one-off promotion for Australia.

"This extensive campaign will see Australia in print, on TV, and on the internet, keeping our country the top of mind choice for American holiday makers," Mr Boundy said.

"The new campaign focuses on targeting the best prospects for Australia - those travellers who are interested in visiting our country but need to take the next step by booking a holiday.

"Our research indicates that most North American travellers who visit Australia consider themselves to be adventure travellers and are driven by unique and differentiating experiences. The link with National Geographic gives the ATC the perfect means for targeting this type of traveller.

"National Geographic is widely respected for delivering stories of travel and adventure from around the globe via the pages of its magazines and programs on TV.

"With the new campaign we are encouraging these same readers and viewers to come and experience an adventure of their own by taking a holiday in Australia.

"The promotion showcases the range of unique adventure type experiences travellers can engage in - whether it's climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge or riding a camel through the Australian outback."

The year long National Geographic promotion is a key part of the ATC's $10 million 'Have You Ever' campaign, which is in partnership with Qantas. The campaign is also supported by Tourism New South Wales, Tourism Victoria, Tourism Queensland, South Australian Tourist Commission and Northern Territory Tourist Commission.

The comprehensive 'Have You Ever' campaign includes: television advertisements on major cable networks in the US (such as Fox News, CNBC, and the Discovery Channel); print advertisements in major newspapers including USA Today, NY Times, and LA Times; and online promotions on the ATC's consumer website australia.com.

"Recent studies on Australia's brand health in the North American travel market indicate that Australia remains the number one aspirational destination for travellers in this region," Mr Boundy said.

"We know Australia is a dream destination for Americans and the new campaign encourages them to turn their dreams into reality."