Young guns put Karijini on world map

Tongue-in-cheek marketing is being used to lure young travellers to WA’s lesser-known attractions.

Karijini National Park was the latest focus for Tourism Australia’s Aussie News Today, a light-hearted social news channel anchored by Nick Cummins, Teigan Nash and Lincoln Lewis.

Lewis and Nash visited Karijini last week to spend some time in the park, which has become a bucket-list destination courtesy of its Instaworthy scenery.

“The rest of the world already knows about the Great Barrier Reef, Bondi and Uluru, but when you meet a backpacker, they have the best stories about Australia and most of those are not about the quintessential things you see on a tourism ad,” Lewis said.

“At the end of the day, it is nothing special to go and see a big city. The real beauty is the travel along the way, and that is endless here.

We are promoting all the JUlittle quirky bits and pieces and fun stories people have experienced along the way to put a smile on peoples faces.”

He said the solitude and isolation of WA’s natural landmarks would be a drawcard for European travellers used to being surrounded by thousands of people at tourist destinations.

Content accumulated from visiting Karijini will be fed through to Tourism Australia and social news outlets popular in target markets across the country.

Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said the campaign aimed to show young travellers why Australia was the perfect place to visit.

“We want to put a smile on young people's faces by finding and sharing fun and uplifting stories from across Australia,” he said.

“Regional Australia is such a big part of our youth story and it’s great to see places like Perth,Rottnest Island and Karijini National Park playing such a prominent role in our latest campaign.”

Mr O’Sullivan said stories from locals were the best way to promote a region.

Home to some of the best youth experiences in the country, young international travellers are choosing to stay almost two months in WA (52 nights), representing 27 per cent of total visitors.

Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo said young travellers were an important part of Australia's visitor mix.

“Forty-three cents in every tourism dollar is spent in regional Australia and this is even more pronounced for youth,” he said.

“Young people tend to stay longer, spend more and travel further in the search for unique and exciting experiences.”

Mr Ciobo said the campaign would target markets such as the UK, Italy, Germany and France.