Martin Ferguson
Minister for Tourism
Minister for Resources and Energy
Jan Jarratt
Minister for Tourism
Minister for Manufacturing and Small Business
Five hundred international backpackers holidaying in Sydney will be offered free bus and rail travel to Queensland as part of the latest marketing initiative in the joint State and Federal Governments’ $12 million tourism recovery funding package.
Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jan Jarratt said the backpacker market is valuable for tourism, particularly in regional areas given their length of stay and tendency to travel throughout Australia.
About half a million backpackers visit Australia each year, on average they stay for two and a half months and spend anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.
“Six of Australia’s top ten most popular backpacking destinations are in Queensland including Brisbane, Tropical North Queensland, Whitsundays and the Gold Coast. This strategy is a very direct and effective way of stimulating a captive audience – international backpackers already in Australia who might be looking for their next great experience,” Minister Ferguson said.
“As a part of the State and Federal Government promotion, Greyhound Australia is offering 500 international backpackers the chance to obtain free coach travel to the Gold Coast or Brisbane from Sydney. Queensland rail is also offering a hop-on hop-off East-Coast Queensland Rail Travel pass to Cairns, worth approximately $400.”
“We all know that a freebie is irresistible to backpackers and so is a Queensland holiday – the combination is impossible to refuse,” Minister Jarratt said.
“So we’ll be providing backpackers in Sydney with the means to travel north in an audacious bid to ensure they spend their money on Queensland accommodation, food, attractions and experiences.
“Promotional teams will hand out flyers in Sydney today and will also plaster posters around Sydney’s backpacker hostels to get the word out about the campaign.”
Backpackers need to book at least five nights accommodation in at least two Queensland destinations in order to secure the free travel.
International travellers can pre-register for this opportunity from today by visiting: www.studentflights.com.au/QUEENSLAND. Pre-registration will close on Wednesday 13 April.
Backpackers will then need to visit the Student Flights Sydney Central or Bondi Junctions stores when they open at 9am on Thursday 14 April to secure their free travel.
The first 500 to present their printed registration form and international passport would win the free travel.
Tourism Queensland and Tourism Australia have partnered with Greyhound Australia, Queensland Rail, Queensland’s regional tourism organisations, Backpacking Queensland and TNT Magazine to run the campaign, which will provide 500 backpackers with free bus or rail passage to Queensland.
This campaign follows a string of other initiatives funded through the $10 million Federal and State Government funded post-flood and cyclone recovery package. These have included the rolling-out of the Nothing Beats Queensland marketing campaign, the mega media familiarisation tour of Queensland for roughly 200 domestic and international journalists and a $400,000 radio blitz in China.