International Representatives Meeting 2012
Enhance your partnership with Tourism NT's International Marketing and PR representatives when they will visit the Northern Territory for the International Representatives Meeting this May. During the Industry Days they will provide you with Market Updates, including key targets, campaigns, trends and the opportunities for you to be involved in international activities.
Plus as an accredited operator you can present an eight minute Product Update to the global team, and discuss opportunities that could see your business featured in global channels.
DARWIN
Friday 11 May 2012
8.00am registration for 8.15am start
Crowne Plaza Darwin
ALICE SPRINGS
Monday 14 May 2012
8.00am registration for 8.15am start
Crowne Plaza Alice Springs
Networking lunches provided. Spaces are limited, so RSVP by 20 April, via our online IMM Application Form. For further information, contact Meg Cotter on 08 8999 3936 or via meg.cotter@nt.gov.au.
Meet our representatives
Tourism NT has eight international offices representing 19 markets. These offices are located in the United States, China, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Most of these offices have both a Trade Marketing and Public Relations representative who work with the Darwin team to implement their marketing and promotional activities.
Tourism NT has just been through an intensive tendering process to appoint representation in many of its international markets and is pleased to announce the re-appointment of both the Public Relations and Trade Marketing agencies in the UK, Keene and Robert Hardless & Associates respectively. Karisma GmbH has also been reappointed for Trade Marketing in Central Europe, as well as PVTC for Trade Marketing in France. Welcome to KPRN as our new Public Relations team in Central Europe, AIGO as our new Public Relations and Trade Marketing team in Italy, and LMY&R as our new Public Relations team in France.
Global public relations firm Weber Shandwick has been awarded the Japanese PR contract, and AVIAREPS have been awarded the Trade Marketing contract. In Singapore, TPR have come onboard to provide Tourism NT with a PR presence in this growing market. Pacific Leisure Marketing will be looking after the Trade Marketing account in Singapore. The approach provided by these agencies will ensure the Northern Territory remains best positioned to capture experience seekers through these eastern hemisphere target markets.
The North America and China tendering process has begun and will continue through the following months with the view of having in place the successful contractor for the new financial year.
Meet a few of the Tourism NT In-Market Representatives for 2012:
Our International Markets
Tourism NT works with travel trade and other business partners internationally to promote the Northern Territory in key markets through joint trade and consumer marketing initiatives.
For details on each market:
The Americas
Born to explore now reaching the US Forces
ABC TV-series Born to Explore which first aired in January to an audience of 6million across the US will now be broadcast on the American Forces Network in Australia and overseas, reaching another million viewers.
This series follows Richard Wiese as he explores the Territory. The series originally ran on one of the three main networks in the US, over four episodes that featured distinct regions and experiences in the Red Centre; Kakadu; Arnhem Land, and the Tiwi Islands with footage and interviews that underscored and reflected what is unique about the Territory.
The Born to Explore series was the top ranked show in its time period in New York (#1 market) since its premiere and consistently #1 in 3 of the top 5 US TV markets, including Philadelphia, LA and Chicago. It is estimated that more than 23 million people have watched the Born to Explore series.
A camel in Times Square was used to publicise a Red Centre episode, and this featured on Good Morning America before an audience of some 4.7 million viewers. View the coverage below.
Outside media showcasing the Territory
Advertising with high profile Outside media group (who run OutsideTV, Outside Magazine and www.outside.com), in partnership with tactical packages on offer from Aspire Downunder, will go live in April. The US team have worked on a two-stage integrated campaign to build a multi-media program involving an editorial famil (which took place in October), online microsite, email campaign and exposure on their national TV channel. This outlet is a well matched publication for the NT as its readership of over 600,000 are enthusiasts of camping, trekking and adventures in exotic locations. Partnering with Outside has enabled us to inspire a well-targeted group to travel to the NT via clear brand narratives celebrating the NT’s uniqueness against other destinations.
Uluru access promoted through travel consortium network
The Americas team is part of a significant campaign with a consortium of major travel partners which will promote travel to Uluru through the Qantas Icons of Australia Airpass. Tourism NT, Tourism Australia, other State Tourism Offices, Qantas, Signature Travel Network, Ensemble Travel Group, and Travel Leaders have together contributed a total of $500,000 to this campaign ensuring great visibility and reach across each of their targeted consumer databases. Consumers can build an Uluru itinerary around the Airpass with a travel agent from the consortium’s network. Over 4 million consumers will be exposed to this campaign from February to November 2012 via email marketing and online advertising campaign on LonelyPlanet.com, Gridskipper and Ytravelblog.com.
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China
TOP Travel boosts Darwin messaging
As part of the global public relations and marketing campaign to leverage the Lonely Planet announcement of Darwin being one of the best cities to visit in 2012, Tourism NT's China team have secured a strong partnership in the well-targeted publication TOP Travel Magazine. The magazine is one of the few remaining outbound consumer travel publications left in this marketplace and its readers, totalling around 480,000 people, are looking for adventure and experiences in exotic destinations. The January issue of the magazine featured two pages on Darwin, linking readers to the TOP Travel website on which they could engage with further with Darwin content and take part in an interactive competition.
China Charters to the NT
On 21 and 28 January, two charter flights flew from China to the Northern Territory bringing more than 300 Chinese visitors. The government invested almost $330,000 in a 10 week campaign to promote the Northern Territory in Guangzhou, Shenzen, Beijing and Shanghai in the lead up to the charters flying to the Territory. The Chinese tourists were able to choose from a number of itineraries which had stops at Uluru, Watarrka National Park/Kings Canyon, Alice Springs or Darwin. Tourism NT CEO, John Fitzgerald personally welcomed the first group of visitors at Uluru.
The charter program supported Tourism NT's efforts to raise awareness and promote the Northern Territory within the Chinese market. Broader goals of the program were to highlight needs within industry as they become 'China ready,' and generating and building relationships between NT operators and key in-market wholesalers. Key trade partner Yueqiao has indicated more NT group bookings to come as a result of the charter promotions. Yueqiao package and sell to retail agents in Shenzen, Guanzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.
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France
Targeting Honeymooners
The France team have worked cooperatively with key trade partner Australie à la Carte to continue their partnership this time with Tourism South Australia. The print and digital promotion includes travel offers showcasing the Territory as an ideal honeymoon destination. This was supported through a media buy of Google adwords and online banners on targeted bridal websites.
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Germany
MINI Countryman launches NT test drive competition
Through a partnership with the global brand BMW, our Germany team has launched a MINI promotion ‘The test drive of your life Down Under’ which continues until October. This campaign includes store and MINI road show promotions of the Northern Territory which coincides with the release of the new MINI Countryman – a MINI all-wheel drive.
FTI, a major German trade distribution partner, adds great benefit to this campaign by increasing the distribution reach through their travel agency network. FTI promotional consumer flyers featuring dedicated NT travel packages have been distributed to the FTI agency network across Germany.
This integrated marketing and public relations campaign includes a MINI microsite, promotional editorial hosted on Germany’s second largest web portal www.web.de and culminates with the five prize winners and a friend, along with a media famil touring the Red Centre in the MINI Countrymen in November.
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Italy
Marco Polo TV
In order to reach into broadcast outlets in Italy, the Northern Territory will feature in a 10 part series shared with South Australia on the Marco Polo travel channel. Luxury, indigenous culture and adventure will be the key themes featured in the episodes and will be seen by around 750,000 viewers, not including repeated airings in November and December. The vision shot in October will create content not only for distribution via Marco Polo, but also for use on Tourism NT's digital platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, with the aim of increasing Italian visitation to these sites.
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Singapore
Territory showcased at NATAS
Tourism NT participated in the premier Singapore travel event – National Association of Travel Agents Singapore 2012 (NATAS) – where travel trade and Singaporean consumers gathered together under one roof. During the 3-day event from 24-26 February, Tourism NT representatives showed consumers that the NT is a must-see travel destination, as well as providing essential facts for holiday planning. Networking with travel trade for future famil and co-operative marketing campaigns was another key outcome of our attendance at NATAS. A news story on NATAS is available to read online.
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United Kingdom
UK Daily Telegraph Promotion
Tourism NT and Tourism Victoria have teamed up to capture the attention of almost 500,000 UK Daily Telegraph readers through a 16 page travel supplement in the Sunday 11 February edition of this major national newspaper.
The supplement was supported by Trailfinders, Tripadvisor and Singapore Airlines as the conversion partner, capitalising on the combined strengths of these brands. On top of this, readers are being directed to the Telegraph’s website for further inspirational destination content that creates an urgency to travel as well as dispersal within Australia.
Trailblazing with the 50+ market
The UK Tourism NT team is promoting the Northern Territory as preferred Australian holiday destinations to the 50+ market through March and April. In partnership with Tourism Victoria, Trailfinders, and Singapore Airlines, this campaign capitalises on the Singapore Airlines flights to Melbourne, which connect through to Yulara with Virgin Blue. The strength of these key brand partners, and the range of holiday experiences they offer, will assist in attracting this market to the NT and address the declining UK leisure visitor arrivals during tough trading conditions. Operator offers from Intrepid Connections, the Red Centre hotels (including Kings Canyon Resort, Voyages and ASP) Maui Motorhomes and Great Southern Rail are a key part of this tactical promotion. In addition to partner websites, these offers will be promoted in print (Telegraph) and online (TripAdvisor) media.
Kiss 100's Big Outback AdveNTure
Following on from the success of the KISS FM Big Outback Adventure, Tourism NT is partnering with this top youth radio station again to promote youth travel and the Working Holiday visa to and within the NT through November and December 2011.
Kiss 100, voted as one of the UK’s coolest brands by the Superbrands Organisation, Kiss 100 attracts 1.7 million listeners each week and reaches more 15-24s than any other station in London and is number one for these age groups in terms of market share.
The competition winners will travel to the NT with one of KISS FM’s breakfast show DJ’s to blog, film and Facebook their amazing experiences in May 2012.
The KISS campaign has been judged a great success, not only in the Tourism NT results, but by the industry, having now taken out four marketing awards.
Key Opinion Leader to spread the word about the NT
Rebecca Hossack is one of the most highly regarded indigenous art dealers in the UK with an enormous sphere of influence amongst art enthusiasts. The Tourism NT UK office has established a strong relationship with Rebecca in order to inspire consumers to not only become further interested in the stunning artwork from a number of regional communities, but to also inspire consumers to visit the origin of the work.
As part of this relationship, Rebecca will travel to the Territory in April to engage with artists from across the NT, but also to explore new regions, capturing it on film and gathering a memory bank of experiences that she can then relay when back in London. A trade and media event will be held, hosted by Rebecca, to exhibit some of the artwork, but also to tell her NT story to a large group of key and influential guests. Territory Discoveries will be used as the trade partner and to provide guests with a mechanism to book their own NT art adventure.
NT Birding Promotions
The Top End made the lead travel story in UK The Independent newspaper's Saturday edition in February. The travel supplement ran a colour front cover promoting a birding visit to the Top End. The Independent is one of the countries highest circulating newspapers to over 117,000 readers. The story was written by Mike Unwin, as a result of his visit to the NT as part of a group birding famil led by Tim Appleton last year. Read the NT travel article online.
A quarterly publication promoting the Northern Territory's Winter 2012 birding experiences has also been well received in the UK market by over 900 birding enthusiasts. The NT Bird News publication developed by Tourism NT highlights the Red Centre Bird Festival and NT sponsorship of Bird Fair.
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