QUEENSLANDERS living in the state’s southeast are being urged to holiday in the outback to help drought-stricken towns.
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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk launched a $500,000 tourism campaign called Live Australia’s Story on Wednesday.
She says promoting domestic tourism will provide another vital source of income for parched outback farming towns.
‘‘We know outback Queenslanders have been doing it tough, that’s why we want to do all we can to help boost the economy,’’ Ms Palaszczuk said.
Tourism Minister Kate Jones said ads will soon appear in print, on radio, online and on social media.
‘‘We want people to be mesmerised and inspired by outback Queensland, where the land and people tell Australia’s story,’’ she said.
Outback Queensland Tourism Association general manager Pete Homan said the bush offered experiences like spotting wildlife, hiking, sleeping under the stars, fossil hunting, kayaking gorges and outback events.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the Outback Queensland tourism industry,” Mr Homan said.
“Outback Queensland offers a range of unforgettable visitor experiences from spotting Australian wildlife, to sleeping under the stars, dinosaur discoveries, kayaking in the stunning gorges to learning about Australia’s heritage or attending an Outback event.
“I invite everyone to get out here, experience it for themselves and Live Australia’s Story in Outback Queensland.
“Local operators will have access to a series of stunning new images and footage developed by Tourism and Events Queensland to support their business and local tourism industry.”
Shadow treasurer John-Paul Langbroek said the opposition also advocated for a tourism push for the state’s drought-stricken outback.
‘‘Throughout the west, the more help we can give in those tourism areas through grey nomads and other visitation would obviously be appreciated at a tough time,’’ he said.
The campaign is the first branding for outback tourism in a decade.
As part of the new campaign, a series of visitor itineraries will be published on – www.outback
queensland.com.au