NSW FEELS THE LOVE - RECOVERY CAMPAIGN FLYING

Morning television presenters, industry operators, visitors and the public have been sharing their love for NSW every day this week following the launch of Destination NSW’s tourism recovery campaign last weekend.

On Saturday 8 February, Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres announced the Now's The Time To Love NSW campaign as part of a $10 million Tourism Recovery package developed to support the state’s visitor economy. The marketing component commenced with a double page spread in the Daily Telegraph which included a rally cry to book a getaway in NSW, to take photos featuring a love heart during the trip, and post them on social media with #LoveNSW.

An additional four-page wrap of the Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph will appear tomorrow, Saturday 15 February.

MEDIA COVERAGE
The groundswell of support for #LoveNSW got a major boost this week with the TODAY Show getting behind the movement. Destination NSW worked with local operators in Port Macquarie, Hunter Valley, Blackheath, Ulladulla and Merimbula to coordinate daily live weather cross segments on the morning program, which carried a strong #LoveNSW message; the Hunter Valley broadcast even included a heart-shaped hot air balloon. The TODAY Show and its weather presenter Tim Davies have been sharing content from the broadcasts on social media including the hashtag #LoveNSW.

TODAY Show hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon also showed their love for NSW, posting a photo showing their ‘hearts’ on social media, and this morning, the entire TODAY Show plus TODAY Extra was broadcast live from Batemans Bay.

Other media highlights from the first week of the campaign include:

• More than 750 pieces of coverage across top tier media in the trade and consumer markets
• Channel 9 news: How helping hands can help turn the tourism industry around
• ABC Weekend Breakfast: The challenges facing Australia’s tourism industry and NSW campaign launches
• News.com.au: Sharing the love - how your holiday snaps can help NSW tourism operators recover from drought and fire
• Good Food: Guides for Good - where to eat, drink and shop along the NSW South Coast
• US Travel Editor for Wine Enthusiast and US Forbes magazine freelancer famil in Hunter Valley

DIGITAL
The #LoveNSW landing page on VisitNSW.com has received more than 7,500 views since its launch last Saturday, with the average time on site almost double the same period last year. Sixty per cent of #LoveNSW webpage traffic is from NSW while across our borders, Victoria (19%) and Queensland (14%) rank second and third in engagement.

It’s a timely reminder for tourism operators to ensure they are registered on Destination NSW’s FREE Get Connected platform, which allows them to showcase their tourism products on VisitNSW.com. Information on how to register can be found here.

In total #LoveNSW has reached almost half a million people on social media and reports show an increase in social media users sharing their intention to travel to or within NSW.

Further, operators and tourism organisations across the state have been sharing their love for NSW by posting photos on social media from their business and joining the conversation via the hashtag #LoveNSW.

#LoveNSW
Destination NSW