Tourism Western Australia has signed a deal with travel publisher Lonely Planet, which will see the state feature heavily on Lonely Planet TV and websites, Tourism Minister Sheila McHale announced today.
The full text of a Ministerial announcement is pasted below
Western Australia will be marketed to a global audience thanks to a new partnership between Tourism WA and globally-recognised travel brand, Lonely Planet.
Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said WA would feature heavily on Lonely Planet TV and websites, as well as newsletters distributed to more than 200,000 subscribers.
"This is a great opportunity to further market our State to a global audience," Ms McHale said.
"The partnership gives us access to Lonely Planet's substantial international consumer base, potentially reaching more than five million consumers in more than 170 countries and tapping into our key tourism markets.
"Lonely Planet's key audience are carefree and independent travellers, which is a good fit for WA with its adventurous outback tourism experiences."
The Minister said that as part of the partnership with Lonely Planet, one of the world's leading independent travel publishers, Tourism WA had developed English and Japanese language microsites, featuring WA, under the Lonely Planet banner.
The new sites would combine existing footage, images and articles from Lonely Planet, as well as fresh footage, content and podcasts about WA.
"Online marketing is an important tool in raising awareness and attracting more international visitors," Ms McHale said.
"There will also be a consumer competition to drive interest in WA as an adventure holiday destination and communicate our 'real Australia' message.
"This is the first time Lonely Planet has worked with a State tourism organisation to create custom video specifically for the destination.
"The Japanese version of the site also offers Tourism WA a unique platform to the Japanese market, as this is the first time Lonely Planet has partnered with MSN Japan to host and promote a tourism website."
The Minister said WA had recently featured in a four-part series on SBS Australia, produced by Lonely Planet and viewed by an audience of 262,000 nationwide.
