Destination Gold Coast has launched a new $2 million domestic marketing campaign to entice mature Australians to play on the Gold Coast this autumn, winter and beyond.
After two resoundingly successful family-centric campaigns last year, the Gold Coast is testing the appetite of high spending over-50 Aussies to reconsider the region as a holiday option, through exploration of lesser-known experiences.
The tourism push targeting those aged 50+ is a first for the Gold Coast and is intended to appeal to the young at heart by showcasing a diverse range of immersive activities that strongly correlate to travel preferences.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said the city’s chief tourism body had strengthened its scope to grow the Gold Coast visitor economy by continuing its focus on attracting High Spending Travellers (HSTs).
“The 50+ market represents Australia’s most rapidly growing demographic by expenditure, and therefore the biggest opportunity to grow our domestic market share,” said Ms Battista.
“There is a higher proportion of HSTs aged 50+ compared to younger age groups and these travellers tend to holiday more frequently, spending upwards of $5,000 on average each year.
“The ground-breaking campaign invites mature travellers to holiday on the Gold Coast and unapologetically playsup this segment’s zest for life and love of travel.
“Destination Gold Coast has released a market insights report in tandem with the 50+ campaign that highlights the need to pivot tourism marketing to embrace the trend associated with Australia’s aging population.
“It is crucial that as destination marketers we take advantage of opportunities to remain competitive and to innovate our tourism offering by applying sound research to give the Gold Coast a competitive edge.
“Research shows that this group desire holiday experiences that prioritise relaxation, time with their partner and comfort as important reasons for choosing to visit the Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast has traditionally specialised in servicing family travel groups predominately 15-49-year old’s without taking advantage of marketing Gold Coast experiences that appeal to mature adults.
Ms Battista said the Gold Coast’s breadth of experiences play into notions of childhood nostalgia and positions the region as the ultimate playground for multi-generational family getaways.
“Whilst the 50+ market is happy to travel in peak periods including summer, they tend to prefer quieter periods for travel that are less crowded and more favourable to multifaceted families and couples.
“Walking around to explore, going on tours and visiting natural attractions and parks, local markets and eating local produce are some of the top activities that this demographic love to do, so our creative complements these core aspects.”
The nine-week campaign commencing 2 February, will catapult Gold Coast’s authentic offering nationally in key source markets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Destination Gold Coast’s 50+ Market Insights Report and Fact Sheet are available to download.
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