Tips to get your product included in a Tourism Australia or STO Campaign!

Have you ever wondered how certain products get included in the big campaigns that Tourism Australia and the State Tourism Organisations run?

This article is to provide a list of actions that, when actioned and put together, increases your higher chance for your product to be considered for these campaigns.

Before we delve in, a few things to consider before you decide you want to go down this path. Tourism Australia and the STOs generally run large “Awareness” campaigns. What this means, is that these campaigns are targeted at travellers in the “Dream” stage. These are people who have decided they want to go on a trip, however they don’t know what destination they are travelling to yet. Tourism Australia has further broken this down to their target audience and defined them as High Value Travellers. Be sure to have a look at each market and their definition on High Value Traveller. Remember, a High Value Traveller isn’t necessarily just a luxury traveller. This often also includes Backpackers as they stay for a long time and spend quite a lot of money while here. They may stay in the Outback Pioneer Dorm rooms at Uluru, however they will happily drop $500 on skydiving while there. Be aware of what this traveller looks like for your markets you work in see if your product and content aligns well.

All STO corporate sites also offer this information so be sure to check yours out (and as a shout out to Tourism Tasmania, this one is an excellent source of information!).

1. Make your product bookable. 

Tourism Australia and the STOs have agreements with Key Distribution Partners (KDPs). These partners are wholesalers, OTAs and travel agency chains. These act as the “Call to Actions” to each campaign. What is a “Call to Action” you ask? It's the part you see on the advert that says “To book, contact or visit xyz”. It tells the interested consumer where to go to find more information and to book. Usually it has a package with a price point accompanying it. Once you know who the KDPs are then you can negotiate a contract with them to sell your product (at a nett price of course) which then in turn means they can include your product in any packages they build to support the campaigns. You can find Tourism Australia’s KDP list here.

1. Support Tourism Australia and your STO in their activities.

Tourism Australia and your STO usually run an array of events throughout the year. These include events such as the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), workshops, roadshows and briefings. They also run extensive famil and media programs. Get involved and support them. It gives you the opportunity to show that your are an active member of the tourism community. You find information about Tourism Australia events here.

1. Share your content.

If you have your own Instagram, TikTok and Facebook channels, make sure when you post that you are tagging in Tourism Australia and your STO (and even your RTO) as you post. This alerts your product to their social teams and gives them consent to share your image if they think it will resonate with their audience. Use their relevant hashtags also. If you have captured a photo or video that you think is especially special and has the potential for virality, then contact them and let them know. Allow them access to the first right to publish. Remember they have millions of followers and reach is massive. Just make sure to remind them to tag you in the post.

1. Get to know the team.

Know who the Business Development Managers are at Tourism Australia and the Destination Development teams at your STO. Set up regular meetings/check in’s with them. Share with them insights into trends you’re seeing for your business and your region and generally keep them updated to what is going on (it’s a direct line of communication, so this is a powerful relationship to have). Ask them about what campaigns are coming up to which markets. Try and find out who the KDPs allocated to the campaign and once you know this information, you can contact the relevant KDP and let them know that you are interesting in being included in any packages they put together for the campaign. You can offer them a value add or a discount for the campaign duration. This is a simple and cost effective way to get included, even if you aren’t a featured product in the imagery of the campaign. If you want to be in the imagery that you think will resonate with the target audience, be sure to let your Tourism Australia/STO contact know so they can pass this onto the campaigns/content teams. 

https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/events-and-tools/industry-resources/resources-for-industry/whos-who-in-tourism-industry.html

These 4 tips, when acting together are a great way to increase your chance of being included into these big campaigns. Remember that Tourism Australia and the STOs have big budgets and huge reach, so why not have a go at leveraging this and helping your product go as far as it possibly can.