by Mat Churchill

Tourism Queensland representatives were at Sea Temple Resort on Friday to give locals in the industry a chance to learn more about the new branding for Tropical North Queensland, launched in Cairns last month.

Around 20 people attended the roadshow which centred on the 'Adventurous by nature' tag line which will be used to promote the area when it is launched to the public in March 2011.

Jeff Gillies, Director of the Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef, said it was clear that after two years of research, the term 'adventurous' was the obvious choice to reflect the region's personality.

"Being adventurous stood out head and shoulder above all others," he said.

The roadshow was a chance for operators to understand about branding including brand personalities, core brand promises, and market segmentation.

The research included a survey of 6,000 domestic consumers and identified six different segments which made up the Queensland tourism market.

Although the highest proportion of survey respondents were identified as 'Connectors' (family oriented holiday makers who stay relatively close to home), 'Social Fun Seekers' (prepared to travel, follow trends, internet savvy, and generally unhealthy eaters), and 'Active Explorers' (sport and activity focussed, risk takers, social, and low consumers of newspapers and magazines) were identified as the key targets for Tropical North Queensland.

While some members of the audience raised concerns that the tag line 'Adventurous by nature' may act as a deterrent for many potential visitors, particularly in the older demographic, Tourism Queensland went to great lengths to state that being adventurous was open for interpretation.

Dianne Knight from Daintree Discovery Tours agreed there was a feeling of trepidation about the tag line, but appreciated the concept.

"I can see where they are coming from with the adventurous tourism. If you look at the broad spectrum, anyone who comes to Far North Queensland is going to get some sort of adventure," she said.

The March launch will include campaigns in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, and will see trams, buses, and bus shelters, and 60,000 free postcards promoting the region.

Digitally, the brand will feature heavily on online news services and television.All efforts will be directed towards "creating awareness, driving active consideration, and driving website visitation" to a new tropical holidays website.

Jetstar has become the exclusive airline partner and will provide an offer during the campaign period.

While the group in attendance discussed a seemingly heavy promotion of Cairns in the marketing material on display, the level of service provided across many business types in Port Douglas also came under scrutiny.

Ms Knight summed up the situation succinctly. "We've just got to make people feel welcome."

So the questions remain - what does it mean to be adventurous, and will the tag line be interpreted in its intended way?

Let us know your thoughts.