Ten travellers explore Port Douglas, FNQ for tourism promotion
Wednesday February 18 2015, 7:00am
Ten passionate travellers are exploring Tropical North Queensland this month to capture their view of paradise in the bid for a $20,000 prize.
Flying over the Great Barrier Reef, white water rafting through the rainforest and a journey with an Aboriginal elder are among the experiences being turned into films to promote the region in the Paradise Through Your Lens campaign.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) Chief Executive Officer Alex de Waal said this was the third instalment of the destination’s Paradise-themed marketing initiatives, led by Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) in partnership with TTNQ and Qantas.
“These enthusiastic travellers from around Australia, the United States, Canada, France and New Zealand have been invited to explore the length and breadth of Tropical North Queensland in their quest to film our destination’s captivating stories,” he said.
“Their journeys include the Savannah Way, Port Douglas, the Daintree and Cape Tribulation rainforest, Cairns, Palm Cove and the northern beaches, Cooktown and Laura, Green Island, the Great Barrier Reef, the Atherton Tablelands and the Cassowary Coast.
“Action-packed itineraries have been created from February 14 to March 5 which include diving at secluded reefs, discovering native animals like the tree kangaroo, exploring Aboriginal rock art sites and enjoying our tropical lifestyle.
“Once complete, the films will be reviewed by a panel of tourism and marketing experts and the person with the most captivating story will win a prize worth $20,000.
“People around the world will see the films on ExploreTNQ.com.au, social media, in print and via television commercials in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane promoting Qantas deals.
“The footage will also appear in four of Queensland’s key international markets - New Zealand, the US, Europe and the UK.
“The Today show’s weatherman Steve Jacobs will catch up with some of the contestants when he does a live cross from Palm Cove later this month and Australian Geographic Outdoor magazine editor Justin Walker will interview them when he visits to write a story on the region.”
TEQ CEO Leanne Coddington said Paradise Through Your Lens would connect potential visitors with Tropical North Queensland like never before.
“This campaign will showcase the destination’s incredible natural beauty and adventurous visitor experiences through the eyes of travellers from around the world,” she said.
“It is a wonderful example of TEQ, TTNQ and industry working together to adopt an innovative approach to destination marketing, using the stories of everyday travellers to inspire others to follow in their footsteps to TNQ.”
The 10 finalists are Romain Leclerc from France, Ross Mackay from New Zealand, David Copithorne from Canada, Ben Williams and Shawn Lowe from the US, and Australians Brodie Rocca, Edward Saltau, Jarrad Seng, Nicholas Covelli and Jemma Craig.