Some of Australia's biggest names in music including Guy Sebastian, Amy Shark and Ocean Alley are headlining a new tourism campaign encouraging Australians to support regional NSW communities by taking a road trip.
Six high-profile artists have filmed their own road trip adventures across NSW for a six-part web series leading a NSW Government campaign that inspires travellers to hit the road and help local visitor economies bounce back.
The new road trips initiative from Destination NSW is an extension of The Great Escape campaign to drive domestic visitation following the decline of travel due to COVID-19 and bushfires. It includes 28 refreshed itineraries, The Long Road web series and extensive media and partnership programs calling on travellers to book a NSW escape.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the next phase of the State's economic recovery would rely on continued support from holidaymakers.
"It has been fantastic to hear that much of our accommodation was fully booked across the State in recent months as we embrace COVID-safe travel and domestic borders reopening," Minister Ayres said.
"Now we need to focus on the medium-term recovery, and start planning our next holiday in 2021, or take a mid-week break now - and why not make it a great escape with a road trip across regional NSW?
"Reconnect with regional communities, discover the hidden gems along the way and see NSW as you've never seen it from the road while giving towns a much-needed boost by staying and spending locally."
Artists featuring in The Long Road web series visited all corners of the state to enjoy unique NSW experiences linked to their passions - from art to craft breweries, kayaking to Harley-Davidson cruising.
ARIA-winner Amy Shark undertook part of the Darling River Run in the outback, which stretches from Walgett to Wentworth via Tilpa, Wilcannia, Menindee and more.
"It's been such an incredible and rewarding experience to be part of The Long Road. Taking the time to meet the locals, hear their stories and see where they call home, has been amazing," Amy said.
"I never thought I would ever visit the Darling River Run, Broken Hill and the surrounding areas and now I can't wait to come back!"
Travellers are turning to road trips in 2020 to allow for flexibility over itineraries, and Nielsen research for Destination NSW shows one in four people now prefer to travel with their own car.
Destination NSW has released a series of 28 refreshed road trip itineraries across the state featuring towns in all of the state's regions from Albury to Armidale, Cooma to Coffs Harbour.
The itineraries are available on VisitNSW.com and Sydney.com and can be searched by interest such as culture and heritage or coastal and aquatic, by duration of one to five-plus days, or by region.
Each itinerary includes an interactive, sharable and downloadable map, points of interest along the route, links to popular tourism businesses, and an indication of drive time from Sydney or the nearest airport.
The campaign will run from Sunday 29 November to June 2021 and includes:
- The Long Road six-part web series hosted by Ash London starring Amy Shark, Guy Sebastian, Troy Casser-Daley, Sneaky Sound System, Ocean Alley and Polish Club touring some of the state's top road trips, with episodes released fortnightly
- New landing page featuring all road trip itineraries on VisitNSW.com and Sydney.com
- Widespread domestic advertising including digital, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, digital publishers such as We Are Explorers and influencer marketing
- Cooperative marketing campaigns with partners including Tripadvisor, Kayak, Helloworld, Welcome to Country and Wotif to drive bookings and a consumer competition delivered by Tripadvisor and Tesla to win a NSW road trip with a Model 3.
- A webinar for industry about the campaign, including tips on how to get involved
See The Long Road web series on YouTube: www.youtube.com/VisitNSW
See the itineraries and book a NSW road trip at: http://www.visitnsw.com
