A Message from our CEO With the holiday season approaching, I wanted to provide a brief update on Australia’s Golden Outback’s (AGO) activities over the last few months. Our primary role continues to be destination marketing, to ignite the spark that drives visitation to destinations within the region. In addition, we also take responsibility to lead destination management, actively supporting, facilitating and enabling networks between the industry and stakeholders to encourage collaboration in developing destinations. An important aspect of this is to keep a focus on the importance of the visitor experience to meet and exceed visitors’ expectations, which is crucial to positive word-of-mouth advocacy and repeat visitation. In addition to our ‘always on’ social media activity, our marketing initiatives in the last few months are highlighted below. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything, please don’t hesitate to email Gabby at marketing@goldenoutback.com or myself at ceo@goldenoutback.com or better still, call us on 9325 1511. I hope that you’ve enjoyed a successful 2017 and I wish you every success in 2018. MARCUS FALCONER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | Today Tonight TV Program With support from Tourism WA, AGO secured and hosted three TV and online features on Channel 7’s ‘Today Tonight’ program highlighting the Goldfields, Fitzgerald River National Park and Esperance. You can check out the episodes from here: ▪ Goldfields
▪ Esperance
▪ Fitzgerald River National Park
| West Australian Newspaper Famil 'Roadtrip' During October, Marcus escorted Ben O'Shea, Editor of The West Australian’s Inside Cover on a self drive famil, subsequently resulting in a 3 day 'takeover' of the whole of the ‘Inside Cover’ page of The West Australian newspaper in late October, highlighting a road trip through the Wheatbelt, Fitzgerald Coast and Esperance. | 2018 Holiday Planner - Coming Soon Australia’s Golden Outback is putting the finishing touches to the 2018 AGO Holiday Planner which will be launched in January 2018. As the mainstay publication for Australia’s Golden Outback promotional activities, 60,000 copies are printed and distributed to visitor and information centres across WA, the eastern states and at all trade and consumer events we attend. Copies of the planner will be mailed to all advertisers. | New AGO Website - Coming Soon AGO is currently updating, refreshing and improving its website www.australiasgoldenoutback.com The new site will be operational in early 2018 and for our Silver and Gold Members who may like to update their product listings in our website, simply email Gabby marketing@goldenoutback.com with any required changes. | AGO Digital Assets Last year AGO received some Royalties for Regions funding via Tourism WA for the creation of new video content to showcase the AGO region. Operators, shires and other stakeholders are welcome to use these videos across their own social media channels, and these can be downloaded from here. If you need any assistance, contact Gabby Simoni marketing@goldenoutback.com | AGO Co-op Press Campaigns Over the springtime, AGO undertook a range of cooperative press advertising campaigns featuring wildflowers, Goldfields, Wheatbelt and Gascoyne Murchison self drive trails in the Sunday Times Escape. The press ads provided holidaymakers with specific self drive itineraries including driving times, distances and attractions to see along the routes. AGO and Kalgoorlie-Boulder Visitor Centre also partnered to advertise ‘Kalgoorlie Cup’ rail packages on the Prospector train. | Live Chat Platform on AGO website Australia’s Golden Outback has facilitated the introduction of a pilot live 'chat' platform in partnership with some visitor centres across the region, who are assisting answering queries coming through AGO’s website. | Great Courses of Australia AGO has secured membership for the Kalgoorlie Golf Course and Nullarbor Links Golf Course on the ‘Great Courses of Australia’ group (to be announced shortly), a national marketing collaboration, backed by Tourism Australia, that promotes Australia’s best golf experiences to key international markets. Recently, AGO worked closely with Tourism Australia resulting in a feature of The Nullarbor Links Golf Course on Tourism Australia's Facebook channel, which has nearly 8 million followers. To view the video click here. | Golden Outback & Coral Coast Germany/Switzerland visit, 25 Aug - 3 Sep In collaboration with Tourism WA Germany, Marcus from AGO and David O'Malley from Australia’s Coast jointly attended a trade sales mission to two of our key international markets of Germany and Switzerland. | New Zealand Roadshow, 12-17 Nov Gabby joined Tourism WA, Experience Perth, Australia's Coral Coast, Australia's South West and Australia's North West on a roadshow throughout New Zealand in November, meeting travel agents and product managers from Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. | ▪ SA Caravan Show - Feb. Many thanks to Hailey Easton from Kalgoorlie Boulder Visitor Centre who will attend the Adelaide show on AGO's behalf.
▪ VIC Caravan Show - Feb. Many Thanks to Carina Macdonald from Central Wheatbelt Visitor Centre who will attend the Melbourne show on AGO's behalf.
▪ Tourism Australia Japan Walkabout.
▪ Perth Caravan Show - March. AGO and others.
▪ ATE Adelaide - April.
▪ NSW Caravan Show - April. Many Thanks to Milton Valli from Esperance who will attend on AGO's behalf.
▪ QLD Caravan Show - June. Many Thanks to Jac Eerbeek who will attend the Brisbane show on AGO's behalf.
| ▪ | SA Caravan Show - Feb. Many thanks to Hailey Easton from Kalgoorlie Boulder Visitor Centre who will attend the Adelaide show on AGO's behalf. | | ▪ | VIC Caravan Show - Feb. Many Thanks to Carina Macdonald from Central Wheatbelt Visitor Centre who will attend the Melbourne show on AGO's behalf. | | ▪ | Tourism Australia Japan Walkabout. | | ▪ | Perth Caravan Show - March. AGO and others. | | ▪ | NSW Caravan Show - April. Many Thanks to Milton Valli from Esperance who will attend on AGO's behalf. | | ▪ | QLD Caravan Show - June. Many Thanks to Jac Eerbeek who will attend the Brisbane show on AGO's behalf. | | AGO has been involved in hosting famils for the travel industry, educating them on the region and its experiences. Famils that have taken place over the last few months included: ▪ In collaboration with Tourism WA, AGO hosted a Japan trade famil through the Goldfields, Wheatbelt, Fitzgerald Coast and Esperance, which is hoped to see packages promoted to the Japan market from February 2018.
▪ AGO hosted 10 Helloworld travel agents to Kalgoorlie and Goldfields.
| ▪ | In collaboration with Tourism WA, AGO hosted a Japan trade famil through the Goldfields, Wheatbelt, Fitzgerald Coast and Esperance, which is hoped to see packages promoted to the Japan market from February 2018. | | ▪ | AGO hosted 10 Helloworld travel agents to Kalgoorlie and Goldfields. | | Jac Eerbeek acknowledged for services to tourism Congratulations to AGO’s former Chief Executive Officer, Jac Eerbeek, who was awarded the prestigious Sir David Brand award for his 47 year contribution to the tourism industry at the 2017 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards held in November. | |
