The NSW Government has unveiled a new tourism campaign that will sell the state to domestic and international visitors as the country reopens its international borders.
Premier Dominic Perrottet and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres launched the advertising campaign “Feel New South Wales” last Sunday, featuring some of NSW’s most treasured locations along with Northern Beaches artist Azure Ryder and Sydney-based band Breathe’s cover of Nina Simone’s 1965 classic Feeling Good.
The campaign took “a couple of million dollars” to produce. So far, about $10 million has been allocated to promote it on TV, print and social media.
“Too often we’ve relied on the buildings, the (Sydney Harbour) Bridge, the heart of the Opera House and the harbour,” Minister Ayres told reporters.
“They are exceptionally beautiful. There’s no doubt about that. But this campaign is about moving a bit beyond them to be able to say they’re always going to be there.”
The tourism campaign was already in the works before the pandemic hit, but Minister Ayres stated that it would help the industry get back on its feet as domestic and international borders reopen.
“We think it’s a way of saying to every single tourism operator who has done it tough over the last 20 months that we are right behind you,” he said.
When Sydney’s 106-day lockdown ended earlier this month, hospitality bookings rose by up to 100 to 200 per cent. Local hotels also saw a 20 to 25 per cent rise in occupancy.
While these numbers are relatively low, Minister Ayres describes them as “green shoots”.
Despite Australian citizens and their families only being allowed into NSW at the moment, Premier Perrottet the new campaign was targeted towards both overseas tourists and locals.
This follows the state’s plans to scrap quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers starting this November.
“This is not a short-term play. This a long-term play for our state,” he said.
“We want our people to stay, we want the rest of the country to visit and we want the world to come and feel and experience the best that our state has to offer.”
with AAP
Eliza Sayon is an experienced writer who specialises in corporate and government communications. She is the content producer for Public Spectrum, an online knowledge-based platform for and about the Australian public sector.
