New campaign inspires young travellers to visit Queensland

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) has partnered with STA Travel to launch a multi-million dollar tourism campaign in Australia, the UK and Europe, designed to inspire more young travellers to visit Queensland.

TEQ Chief Executive, Leanne Coddington, said Queensland had a diverse offering of signature experiences which appeal to young travellers, from its many beach destinations, nature-based attractions and the Great Barrier Reef.

“STA Travel is the world’s leading student and youth tour operator across a number of TEQ’s key international markets including the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France,” Ms Coddington said.

“British visitors between 15 and 29 represent just under 50 per cent of all holiday visitors from the UK. Queensland also welcomed 143,000 youth holiday visitors from Continental Europe last year, which is 60 per cent of the total visitor share.

“So we are excited to be part of this initiative which encourages more young people to experience Queensland, the best address on earth.”

Ms Coddington said the campaigns were led by a strong digital and social media presence targeting youth travellers, students and those with working holiday visas.

“We will see tactical activations and point-of-sale promotions across STA Travel stores in Australia, the UK and throughout Europe,” Ms Coddington said.

“The campaign will extend to 22 Universities across Australia and include a range of activities such as trade and media famils.”

STA Travel’s Head of Marketing Tara Sena-Becker added: “Queensland is a key domestic destination for us. We have continued to see great interest from our market, particularly amongst domestic and international students.

“We look forward to further promoting Queensland as a top destination for youth visitors,” Ms Sena-Becker said.

STA Travel data shows the most popular Queensland destinations for students are Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns, Whitsundays, Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast.

“These campaigns domestically and abroad complement Tourism Australia’s Aquatic and Coastal promotions with STA Travel,” Ms Coddington said.

The campaign activity is supported by TEQ’s partnership with Trade and Investment Queensland, the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, to attract international students to the State.

Europe’s STA Travel campaign is currently in market until September 2016, and the UK and Australian campaigns run from April to June 2016.