TOURISM
AUSTRALIAS new advertising campaign is getting lots of
attention from prospective visitors. The campaign, which features
the cheeky tagline Where the Bloody Hell Are You, has helped
generate a 49% increase in weekly visits to Tourism Australias Web
site, www.australia.com, since it was launched last month,
according to Michael Londregan, the organizations vice president
for the Americas. More than 82,000 unique visitors followed the TV
campaigns call to visit the Web site during a recent week in April,
generating the highest number of sales leads for the year,
Londregan said.
THESE
FIGURES ARE SIGNIFICANT, considering that April is at the
tail end of the traditional marketing season for Americans
traveling to Australia, Londregan said. That were recording a
record figure in April proves the campaign is not only resonating
with consumers but is also strong enough to get the market to do
something its normally not doing at this time of year: enquiring
about an Australian vacation, Londregan said. Leads generated from
the Web site are directed to retail and wholesale agents in
partnership with Tourism Australia and national carrier Qantas
Airways.
QANTAS, meanwhile, announced it is
scrapping its budget carrier Australian Airlines in July to focus
on growing Qantas and its low-cost brand Jetstar. The result will
be two separate brands, with Qantas targeting premium business and
leisure passengers and Jetstar concentrating primarily on leisure
markets. Jetstar service will offer two classes and focus primarily
on Asia and the Pacific before expanding to Europe and other
destinations. Starting in November, Jetstar will begin flying
international routes to Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand; Osaka,
Japan; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Bali, Indonesia; and Honolulu.
Jetstar will unveil fares and schedules for its international
flights in June. Jetstars fleet will transition to 311-seat Boeing
787 planes, part of Qantas $20 billion fleet reinvestment, by
August 2008.
HILTON
HOTELS CORP. said it signed an agreement with the Shanghai
Li Xing Hotel Co. to manage a 362-room hotel in Shanghai under the
Conrad banner. The Conrad Shanghai is scheduled to open in 2008 in
the heart of the citys Xintiandi district. The hotel will feature a
contemporary design combined with traditional Chinese motifs, and
include a spa, ample meetings facilities and two standalone annexes
housing restaurants and recreational facilities. The Conrad
Shanghai will be the third Conrad-branded hotel in
China.
Asia-Pacific Editor:
Jorge
Sidron
Phone: (973) 898-0011
[email protected]
For promotional
opportunities in the E-letters, contact [email protected].