Inspired by Australia

It’s been one year since Australia launched its new Dundee: Son of a Legend film spoof and the campaign is still going strong.

At a recent Tourism Australia event, a panel convened to discuss the country as a multidimensional experience and guests went on a guided “walkabout” to see and experience a brief taste of what each region has to offer from freshly shucked oysters and the beaches of the Gold Coast to flat whites in Melbourne and the wines of Tasmania.

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The panel was moderated by Tony Perrottet, a native Australian and writer for the Smithsonian and The New York Times.

The discussion centered around the idea that Australia, a country the size of the United States with a vast variety of experiences has more to offer than just the reef, the rock and the rainforest.

The panel started off talking about the welcoming nature of Australians and how easy it is for visitors to feel at home in the country.

“The people are the magic secret sauce that makes Australia come to life,” said Penny Rafferty, Tourism Australia global manager premium.

Australian Traveller managing director Quentin Long agreed: There are no pretenses dealing with people. Visitors come for the icons and then they get a raft of things that touch them.”

One of the hardest questions to answer is “Where should Americans go?”

Jane Whitehead, Tourism Australia vice president, Americas, suggested starting with Sydney and the reef, noting that there are a number of unique experiences available in Sydney that give travelers a deeper sense of Australian culture, including taking part in a walk-on role during an opera or enjoying an aboriginal heritage tour.

Whitehead also pointed out that Americans love of food and wine is enticing visitors to travel to South Australia and Tasmania.

Tourism Australia is encouraging travelers to go beyond simply visiting icons and experience off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Rafferty suggested using an icon to tie together a journey.

“Pursuit of personalization is the new luxury,” she said. “An icon might ground an itinerary but then you go beyond and behind the scenes.”

It’s not hard to find diversity in Australia.

“Each of the major cities has its own character,” noted Whitehead.

Some of the suggestions for what travelers will want to do to go beyond the traditional tourism experiences in Australia are to travel to Tasmania, sail the Whitsundays and snorkel Ningaloo Reef Western Australia.

One of the things the misleading aspects of travel to Australia is that it takes a long time to reach. While it is a long flight, travel is timed so that visitors can make the most of their visit.

“Air access to Australia is so good,” said Rafferty, “and the cities are vibrant, successful and accessible.”

Everyone on the panel agreed that the best way to experience an off-the-beaten-path journey in Australia is to plan with a professional.

“The more complex an itinerary the more valuable a trusted travel advisor is,” said Rafferty.

Travel agents have the tools through Tourism Australia to make these intricate journeys easier to book. For example, Luxury Lodges of Australia has a suite of tools designed for its trade partners that assist with itinerary development that include a website, downloadable brochures, training videos and an image library as well as a summary of accommodations.

Travel agents can also learn more about selling Australia through Tourism Australia’s specialist program. The online courses provide the knowledge and skills needed to sell the country and has trained more than 300,000 travel advisors already.