Published Thursday, 13 November, 2008 at 05:00 AM
Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
The Honourable Desley Boyle
Fraser Coast whale watching campaign grabs attention
A $300,000 marketing campaign encouraging people to take the plunge and go whale watching is expected to help keep Fraser Coast operators buoyant despite the tough world-wide economic situation.
Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said the stellar efforts of Tourism Queensland, Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism, the Fraser Coast Regional Council and local whale watch operators would help steady the industry during the current financial climate.
“Early indicators show that so far this season almost 30,000 people have logged on to the Fraser Coast Whale Watching site www.whalesherveybay.com.au – double the number of total hits from last year,” Ms Boyle said.
“In any other year this would have absolutely been read as good news – but we need to also take into account the financial climate.
“The work we have done in marketing the season this year I believe will help steady operators through this turbulent economic time.”
Ms Boyle said the campaign began in July with a “whale bus” travelling around Brisbane’s CBD city loop.
“For the first 12 weeks of the campaign the Brisbane City Council bus was covered in an 11.5m image of a humpback whale and was spotted by thousands of pedestrians and drivers,” Ms Boyle said.
“It certainly proved to be a great talking point amongst commuters and helped to drive people online to find out more about the whale watching season.
“The majority of the whale watchers this year have come from south-east Queensland, but many interstate and international visitors have also enjoyed this fantastic experience.”
Ms Boyle said whales were expected to continue their migration past Hervey Bay for at least another month.
“Around 8,000 whales travel along the east coast of Australia each year and an estimated third of these enter Hervey Bay,” she said.
“The whales love the bay’s sheltered waters, particularly when they have calves travelling with them.
“Hervey Bay is the birthplace of Queensland’s professional whale watching industry and has a range of quality operators that offer fantastic trips in what are some of the best whale-watching conditions in the world.”
Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism General Manager Damien Massingham said the campaign sent a strong message to Queenslanders of just how convenient it is to reach the best vantage point in the world for witnessing the whales first hand.
“The Fraser Coast’s proximity to the south-east corner makes it the perfect destination for a weekend getaway and offers the best opportunities to get up close and personal with migrating whales at play,” he said.
“The winter migration of humpback whales remains a spectacular and captivating event that attracts enormous public attention and affection.”
The campaign also includes 200,000 Hervey Bay whale season brochures inserted in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast press.
More than 65,000 people went whale watching on the Fraser Coast during the 2007 season.
The Fraser Coast Whale Watching Industry spans a wide range of businesses and contributes more than $70 million dollars a year to the region’s economy.
The 2008 whale watching season visitor statistics are expected to be compiled at the end of November.
Ends
Media contact: 3225 1005 or 0419 025 326
13 November 2008
Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said the stellar efforts of Tourism Queensland, Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism, the Fraser Coast Regional Council and local whale watch operators would help steady the industry during the current financial climate.
“Early indicators show that so far this season almost 30,000 people have logged on to the Fraser Coast Whale Watching site www.whalesherveybay.com.au – double the number of total hits from last year,” Ms Boyle said.
“In any other year this would have absolutely been read as good news – but we need to also take into account the financial climate.
“The work we have done in marketing the season this year I believe will help steady operators through this turbulent economic time.”
Ms Boyle said the campaign began in July with a “whale bus” travelling around Brisbane’s CBD city loop.
“For the first 12 weeks of the campaign the Brisbane City Council bus was covered in an 11.5m image of a humpback whale and was spotted by thousands of pedestrians and drivers,” Ms Boyle said.
“It certainly proved to be a great talking point amongst commuters and helped to drive people online to find out more about the whale watching season.
“The majority of the whale watchers this year have come from south-east Queensland, but many interstate and international visitors have also enjoyed this fantastic experience.”
Ms Boyle said whales were expected to continue their migration past Hervey Bay for at least another month.
“Around 8,000 whales travel along the east coast of Australia each year and an estimated third of these enter Hervey Bay,” she said.
“The whales love the bay’s sheltered waters, particularly when they have calves travelling with them.
“Hervey Bay is the birthplace of Queensland’s professional whale watching industry and has a range of quality operators that offer fantastic trips in what are some of the best whale-watching conditions in the world.”
Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism General Manager Damien Massingham said the campaign sent a strong message to Queenslanders of just how convenient it is to reach the best vantage point in the world for witnessing the whales first hand.
“The Fraser Coast’s proximity to the south-east corner makes it the perfect destination for a weekend getaway and offers the best opportunities to get up close and personal with migrating whales at play,” he said.
“The winter migration of humpback whales remains a spectacular and captivating event that attracts enormous public attention and affection.”
The campaign also includes 200,000 Hervey Bay whale season brochures inserted in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast press.
More than 65,000 people went whale watching on the Fraser Coast during the 2007 season.
The Fraser Coast Whale Watching Industry spans a wide range of businesses and contributes more than $70 million dollars a year to the region’s economy.
The 2008 whale watching season visitor statistics are expected to be compiled at the end of November.
Ends
Media contact: 3225 1005 or 0419 025 326
13 November 2008