Tourism promotion lures Japanese with scents of Gold Coast

In an innovative attempt to lure more Japanese visitors to the Gold Coast, the Palaszczuk Government has worked with a Japanese company to develop a range of tea that smells like the Coast.

Inspired by aromas of the Gold Coast sun, surf and greenery, five different herbal teas have been developed using artificial intelligence and are aimed at inspiring Japanese travellers to visit the Gold Coast.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said Tourism and Events Queensland and Destination Gold Coast jointly developed the campaign from an original concept presented by digital agency Dentsu Isobar with Japanese retail giant H.I.S. as the travel partner.

The ‘kaori tabi’ teas – Japanese for ‘aroma travel’ - capture the scents of the five iconic Gold Coast locations of Surfers Paradise, Natural Bridge, Gold Coast Hinterland, Lamington National Park and Burleigh Heads.

Ms Jones said in an increasingly competitive global tourism market, this campaign stood out as a unique way to inspire travellers to book.

“The ‘kaori tabi’ campaign is specifically aimed at young working females, aligning with TEQ’s Queensland Asia Tourism Strategy which identifies millennials as a key target market,” she said.

“Through market research we’ve identified that millennial visitors are young, sophisticated, independent travellers seeking unique and original experiences in destinations that have brag-ability.

“I’m confident this campaign will capture the attention of young working females in Tokyo and Osaka who are large consumers of organic and detox products like herbal teas.”

Ms Jones said the Japanese market grew to become Queensland’s third largest international market in 2017, with 205,000 visitors travelling to the state, spending $432.1 million.

“To continue to grow this important market, we’re committed to working with partners to deliver innovative campaigns that expose the Gold Coast to potential visitors,” she said.

“We’ve just held the Logies which we expect to drive an increase in domestic visitor numbers to the Gold Coast.

This tea campaign will help us to ensure we grow our Japanese visitor base in coming months as well.” 

Destination Gold Coast CEO Martin Winter said the approach combined market research and science in a novel way to market the Gold Coast to a new generation of travellers.

“The teas instantly connect future travellers to Gold Coast, so they get a taste of the experiences that may lay ahead.

“As far as we know, it is the first time anywhere in the world that a tourism marketing organisation has employed AI technology to capture the aromatic elements of a destination and then use it to appeal to a consumers’ sense of smell in market to heighten consideration,” Mr Winter said.  

The herbal teas will be used by Japanese retail giant H.I.S. to secure holiday bookings for the Gold Coast in selected Tokyo branches.

This project marks the second year in Japan of a PR-focused, consumer-centric digital approach adopted by Destination Gold Coast supported by Tourism and Events Queensland.   

Media contact: 0419 620 447