Nature Travel App to Inspire More Visits Down Under

Tourism Australia is hoping to inspire more travellers to connect with Australia's nature with a new travel app, unveiled during the Australian Tourism Exchange in Cairns, which showcases some of the country's best nature-based experiences.

The app, developed by Australian Traveller magazine, covers around 200 different products and experiences that can be enjoyed across 16 of Australia's natural icons – with Cairns providing the gateway to two of the 16 – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics.

Tourism Australia Managing Director, John O'Sullivan, said the app would help better connect the consumer with nature by providing 'tangible experiences' which consumers could enjoy and book.

“We already know from our research that nature is a key motivator for travel to Australia. Taking China, our fastest growing inbound market, as an example – 77 per cent of our Chinese visitors already engage in a nature tourism experience.

“With this new app we can now capitalise on this competitive advantage by showcasing many of the world class tourism experiences that travellers can enjoy and book in the heart of our country's most spectacular natural landscapes,” he said.

The app allows consumers to discover eco-friendly nature experiences, from swimming with Dwarf Minke Whales with Marine Encounters and sleeping on the Reef with Cruise Whitsundays, to sleeping in luxury tents in the wetlands with Jabiru Safari Lodge and hunting for mud crabs in mangroves with The Bama Way.

“Nature tourism is already worth nearly $30 billion annually and these visitors are a key market as they tend to stay longer, disperse more and spend more than other visitors. To tap into this lucrative market, we're stepping up our marketing to focus not only on these wonderful natural landscapes but, importantly, also on the amazing experiences that can be enjoyed within them,” he added.

Other marketing activities aimed at promoting Australia's natural landscapes include a dedicated 'Natural Australia' supplement featured in the April edition of Australian Traveller, showcasing Australia's 16 natural landscapes, with stories on more than 100 local operators across luxury, food and wine, Indigenous, wildlife and walking.

The app allows users to access detailed travel information about 16 featured natural landscapes, including the Great Barrier Reef, the Wet Tropics, Tasmania, the Kimberley, Flinders Ranges and Kangaroo Island. For each one, the app lists things to do and places to stay in the area.

The Natural Australia app is free to download and available for tablet devices using Apple operating systems.