Georgia gobsmacked by golden ticket opportunity
A golden ticket to work and travel through our patch of paradise.
Georgia Lea, 25, from Stockton Heath in Warrington, Cheshire, won the first-class flight after a one-month social media campaign which featured a competition to win the luxury travel experience.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland partnered with one of the world’s leading youth travel platforms, Global Work & Travel, to launch the ‘First Class To Paradise’ campaign.
It was aimed at encouraging working holiday makers from the UK and EU to travel to Australia and be matched with a partner employer in the Cairns and surrounding region.
A severe shortage of hospitality and tourism workers in one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations spawned the major international campaign.
We Have A Winner!
Georgia, a restaurant supervisor who graduated from Warrington College in 2014 in Hospitality and Catering, has nine years’ experience in the industry. She is currently working at Las Ramblas Wine & Tapas in Warrington and will be looking to add to her resume in Tropical North Queensland for four to six months or longer.
Told of her win via Zoom she was lost for words bursting into tears.
“Oh my god, that’s amazing. What a dream.
“I’m shaking. That has made my day. That’s the best news I’ve ever had in my life.”
Packing with plans
She plans to arrive in Tropical North Queensland in November, after her first-class flight in a suite with Singapore Airlines and explore the major tourism attractions of the region including the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest, and the cosmopolitan city of Cairns.
“This still hasn’t really sunk in yet. It probably won’t really hit me until I’m actually on the flight out to Australia,” Georgia says.
This will be Georgia’s first trip to Australia, and she says she has always wanted to head Down Under as one of her bucket list destinations.
“From what I can see there is so much I can do in the tropical north, and my plan is to do as much of it as possible.
“Ideally, at some stage I’d like to get some work on a Barrier Reef island which would be fantastic. That’s something I can’t do in the UK.”
Campaign to drive travelling workers back
The Australia-based Global Work & Travel has specialised in, and developed an extensive range of, work and travel opportunities since it was founded in 2008, backed by the mantra of
“Be more than a tourist”.
Global Work and Travel CEO and Co-founder Jürgen Himmelmann said Tropical North Queensland is one of the most popular for their travellers and for good reason.
“This campaign drove home the multitude of lifestyle benefits you can enjoy in this part of the world,” Mr Himmelmann said.
“Tropical North Queensland has always been one of the most popular destinations for working holiday makers and she now gets to travel here in ultimate style and work in one of the most beautiful locations in not just Australia, but the world.”
Welcome to all
Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen said he was looking forward to welcoming Georgia to Tropical North Queensland where she could work and play in paradise.
“Our international holiday destination is booming with Australian visitors, and we are slowly welcoming back guests from overseas, but we urgently need working holiday makers to assist with the demand,” he said.
“Young travellers from the UK, Ireland and Europe were an integral part of our workforce before the pandemic when they were enjoying being dive masters on the Great Barrier Reef and bar tenders in eco-lodges tucked away in the world’s oldest rainforest.
“We have had great engagement with this campaign which has really helped to put Tropical North Queensland on the map as a working holiday maker destination once again.”
Global Work & Travel reports that since Australia’s international borders reopened in February after two years because of the pandemic, bookings for 2022 have already surpassed pre-COVID levels and have more than doubled from the same period in 2021.