Tourism Australia urges travellers to take an epic holiday in new campaign via M&C Saatchi

The next phase of Tourism Australia’s Holiday Here This Year campaign via M&C Saatchi Sydney has launched today, with ambassadors Hamish Blake and Zoe-Foster Blake showcasing some of Australia’s most epic holiday experiences.

The new $9 million Epic Holidays campaign urges Australians to travel further, book a longer stay, and enjoy the benefits of a bigger domestic holiday.

Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, said that now is the perfect time for Australians who have been holding out for a holiday, to take an epic one: “This new campaign aims to get Australians to travel further afield, take a longer holiday, and visit those parts of the country typically reliant on international tourism.

“Australians typically spend more overseas than foreign tourists spend in Australia, so we want Australians to treat their domestic holiday this year like an overseas trip. The net impact of Australian tourist spending in Australia was a positive benefit to the economy of around $7.5 billion in the December quarter; and in 2019, holidays of five nights or longer contributed $31.8 billion to the economy.

“Every epic holiday that we take in our own backyard delivers a significant shot in the arm for our tourism businesses, workers and communities.”

Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said the new campaign sought to encourage Australians to take the opportunity to book an epic holiday, especially when there had been limited opportunities to do so in the past year.

Says Harrison: “This latest phase of our Holiday Here This Year campaign is focused on reminding Australians of some of the big adventures that can be had when exploring the many destinations, landscapes, and natural wonders that make Australia truly awe-inspiring.

“With a backyard as vast as ours, Australians are spoilt for choice when it comes to epic destinations and holiday experiences. We have a reef so big you can see it from space, the world’s greatest rock formation, and mountain ranges that dominate over three states and more.

“To make the most of these epic holiday opportunities, we’re urging Australians to take a bigger break of five days or more and explore those parts of the country that are especially reliant on international visitors. Taking a longer break is not only good for our personal wellbeing but also for Australia and the many communities and businesses that rely on tourism.”

Says Hamish and Zoe: “We feel intensely awed by this hugely varied and vast country we live in, and how lucky we are to have so many epic experiences in our backyard. So many of the reasons we travel for – wildlife adventures, forests and hiking, wining and dining, and epic family experiences – are right on our doorstep, and the best way to do them justice is on a big holiday. Go bigger! Stay longer! Eat more! Adventure more! Need we say more?”

Says Cam Blackley, chief creative officer at M&C Saatchi: “While beloved big fibreglass things dot the Aussie landscape we wanted people to reassess the experiences they can have in Australia; to view the hidden and not so hidden wonders we are surrounded by as the real ‘big things’ worth exploring. It’s epic, it’s magical and feels like a compelling reason to Holiday Here This Year.”

The Epic Holidays campaign will be rolled out across a range of channels including TV, print, online, social media, content partnerships, search, radio, cinema and outdoor advertising. There is also a new online quiz to assist Australians in finding their perfect holiday match, which can be found on the official travel site australia.com. Campaign assets are also being made available to industry to use in their own marketing initiatives.

The campaign is also being supported by a range of key partners including Flight Centre, Travel Associates, Big Red Group, and Klook.

Tourism Australia also continues to provide consumers with the practical resources and inspiration they need to book a holiday and travel safely around Australia, with tailored content, itineraries, and industry offers on Australia.com. This includes an online Australian COVID travel portal available here, that brings together key safety information, travel restrictions and guidelines from across the country.

More information on the campaign can be found here.

Creative Agency – M&C Saatchi
Cam Blackley – Chief Creative Officer
Mandie van der Merwe – Executive Creative Director
Dave Govier – Associate Creative Director
Rosita Rawnsley-Mason – Associate Creative Director
Allie Steel – Senior Copywriter
Nicole Yeoman – Art Director
Sam Rowlands – Art Director
Vanessa Boueyres – Group Head
Nikki Chapman- Senior Account Director
Jeff Bradshaw – Account Director
Sean O’Shea – Account Manager
Jemma Marriott – Senior Project Manager
Emily Taylor – Chief Strategy Officer
Vanessa Graham – Senior Strategy Director
Emma Parsons – Head of Content
Loren August – Head of Broadcast
Henry Welch – Associate Executive Producer
Simone Cherry – Design Director
Ian Hartigan – Integrated Designer
Will Gembitsky – Motion Designer
Ryan Donnelly – Integrated Designer
Richard Hughes – Retoucher

Production Company: Finch
Director: Christopher Riggert
DOP: Sam Chiplin

UM
Jack Graham – Group Strategy Director
Alisha Imam – Senior Strategist
Lisa Hosking – Senior Client Director
Anthony Thomas – Senior Planning Manager
Ellie Reid – Planning Manager
Rahma El Sayed – Integrated Planner

OPR
Bridget Jung – Chief Creative Officer
Chad Edwards – Design Lead
Alan Tanner – Director
Alex Pugliese – Account Director
Ellee Donald – Account Director
Zoe O’Sullivan – Account Director
Ellie Thomas – Senior Account Manager
Thomas Fogarty – Senior Account Executive
Emma Hill – Account Executive

Digitas
Max Cahill – Senior Account Director
Jade Skinner – Senior Project Manager
Melissa Jones – Senior Account Manager
Raelene Loong – Project Manager
Oliver Ree – Design Lead
Nick Duron – Senior Creative
Hannah Melanson – Copy Director
Michael Daley – Head of Data & Analytics
Stephen Smithstone – AEM lead
Brianna Taylor – Senior Data Analyst
Cliff Sandler – Senior CX Designer
Jae Park – UI Designer