Have you ever considered Australia as a holiday destination?
 

After reading "Australia, the 51st state"? thread and seeing many interesting comments I thought it might be timely to ask a few questions about how the "average" American see's us as a tourist destination.
In fact,open it up to anyone that want's to have their say.

Have you ever travelled down here for a holiday?

Would you like too?

If not why not?

General view?

I have yet to see the ads and it would be of interest to me if anyone want's to comment on those also.

I can clear up any misconceptions and answer your questions too if need be.



Nation 'must develop tourist image'

From correspondents in Los Angeles
July 19, 2003


LINK TO STORY


PAUL Hogan, shrimp and barbies were nowhere to be seen in Los Angeles today when Australia launched its most expensive campaign to entice American tourists Downunder.

The $US6.5 million ($9.98 million) blitz includes television, magazine, newspaper and online advertisements throughout the US and Canada.

"Some years ago Paul Hogan got us on the map in the United States, this is taking us to the next level," federal tourism minister Joe Hockey told a gathering of tourism officials and operators at LA's Park Hyatt hotel.

The slick new campaign features Australian landmarks, beautiful scenery, native animals and promotes Australians as friendly and hospitable.

The ads ask the American audience questions, including: "Have you ever waltzed with a kangaroo?" or "Have you ever found yourself in a land without strangers?"

Mr Hockey caused a firestorm last week when, during a visit to Japan, he referred to Sydney as "tired, complacent and event-free".

The comments infuriated NSW Premier Bob Carr and NSW tourism officials.

Mr Hockey didn't re-visit those comments during today's function, but he did tell the gathering "Australia has to move from being a destination to becoming an experience".

The new ad campaign underlines that.

"It is not good enough to assume that people, consumers are always going to have a holiday because they're not," said Mr Hockey, who has visited Tokyo, Singapore, London, New York and LA on his current world tour.

The US market is one of Australia's most important, with 430,000 Americans visiting the country over the past year.

Research, however, shows 12 million Americans "dream about going to Australia" and "see it as their number one destination".

The new campaign also promotes two-week packages to Sydney-Melbourne-Cairns, Sydney-Northern Territory-Cairns and Sydney-Kangaroo Island-Cairns for under $US2,000. ($3,070).

The campaign is a joint partnership between the Australian Tourist Commission, Qantas, state tourism offices and other commercial partners.

Mr Hockey also announced today a plan to create "Australia Week" in Los Angeles in January next year.

The idea was devised by Australia's Consul General in Los Angeles, John Olsen, with the aim to "focus the eyes of LA" on Australia during a week of Australian-related public events including a film festival, art exhibitions and business promotions.

AAP

I'd like to get around to a tour of zoos & wildlife sanctuaries. I'd love to visit the Australia Zoo & catch a croc feed, and to check out the tigers at Dreamworld.

In fact, those spots are marked down as possible destinations for Molly & my 5th year wedding anniversary.

You know - once I saw that 6 of the 10 deadliest snakes in the world are in your backyard, I wasn't so keen on it anymore. ;)

Seriously, I think most everyone I know sees it as a desired destination, myself included.

Dude, everytime I watch something on Austrailia on the Animal Planet Channel I see poisonous snakes, spiders, jellyfish that kill in minutes and other things. Insane.

dont forget the crocks that like american tourists :):):) jk

My sister has been down there twice and loves it. I am more interested in ancient civilization type things, plus the long flight down is a major pain, but I think if I ever make it down I would have a good time.

i live in australia (perth) and its great. Although i've never really seen any of these deadly animals before??? in the wild, but they're at the zoo and other such places.
camping and touring the outback is alot of fun.
The beaches are really nice as well, especially down south.

We may have the most deadliest reptiles but less school and drive-by shootings. It evens out if you think about it.

I've considered Australia and New Zealand as destinations. We have been tossing around the idea of retiring in NZ due to the low cost of living, relatively inexpensive property costs and strong dollar value there. Plus it is beautiful.

I've been there many times, usually for about a month stay. My wife is Banana Bender, so we usually end up lazing around the out-laws house just off the beach on the Gold Coast. I've done a fair bit of traveling in country though. Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Melbourne and Soveriegn Hill, Cairns and the Reef, climbed Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon, even saw Steve Irwin play with his overgrown lizards at Australia Zoo. I find the entire country absolutely fascinating.

One day, hopefully soon, I will make it my home.

I would definitely go to Australia. Maybe not New Zealand. I researched NZ pretty well from a tourism standpoint, and the attractions boil down to 1) scenery, 2) hiking, 3) beer, and 4) sheep. Also beaches, but it would have been winter when I planned to go. Anyway, not enough attractions for a city boy.

Australia, now -- I think the real problem there would be picking out which part to see, there's no much.

Re: Have you ever considered Australia as a holiday destination?
 

I've considered it. It'd require either a lot of money or a lot of time: I'm NOT going on a 12-hour flight in Coach, or I'm taking a freight ship.

My brother wants to go also, but it comes down to a lack of money.

Uh, you're attracted to sheep?

Not a holiday destination as such, the CoMoFo's won't let me have more 'n 2 weeks hol @ a time and it would take me a week 2 get there (I smoke and need a lot of breaks).

Bill Bryson did a great travelling book about Oz. Made me want to go to Victoria, check out Melbourne as a place of residence. One day maybe!

I was there for christmas about 9 years ago. I absolutely loved that place. My family and I stayed in Perth right on the beach. Very Very nice. Its a great place just to hang out in. Most days we would sit on the beach and others we would travel to Rottnest Island. Very cool place, this Island has very few cars (service vechicles only) and you bike everywhere you go. All the animals will come right up to you. I would have loved to see Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef but things didn't work out for that trip...maybe next time. If anyone is thinking about visiting, I highly recommend it!

Managed to miss all the festivals, I see...

I don't think I would ever go to either Hawaii or Australia because I have the impression that the locals would hate me and deride me for being a tourist. I don't know where that impression comes from, but that's the feeling I get from Australians and Hawaiians. I just feel like they (in general) hate tourists.

My answer to this is reminds me of a thread I started long ago about "Have You Ever Met an American?" (http://tfproject.org/tfp/showthread....&threadid=7107 )in which I wanted to hear the generalities about Americans that other people have. The thread began marvelously as TFPers from Finland, Ireland, Australia, Canada, etc., answered very openly and honestly about their general impressions of Americans.

And then the thread was quickly killed by litte junior Jesse Jacksons who kept admonishing the posters as to what bad people they were for even daring to voice a generalization.


It was a good thread killed by stupid people.

So I wouldn't be surprised if they flock to this thread and start handing out demerits.

Feh. North America has four kinds of poisonous snakes, and there's only one place where you can encounter all four of them; my home state of Alabama.

You just don't step on them.

Man, really, Australia is pretty much the same as the US, or so I've gathered. But with like, less people.

And more beer.

Oh yeah, and kill the accent before you get down here. Strong American accents tend to shit many people here. ;)

2 of my cousins live down there, so i might come there to visit sometime.

I'd definately like to go to Oz, only problem is that from Canada is the expense and distance.

Otherwise its on my top 5 places to visit for sure!

I have wanted to see Australia for a long time. But it is a long way and an expensive trip for those in North America. Hell, it is a long way for everyone. Once on a flight from London to Dublin I sat next to a lady from Sydney on her way to visit her boyfriend. They each made the trip once a year so they saw each other every 6 months. Talk about a long distance relationship.

I will go when I can take the time to see both the east coast and some of the outback. I also want to wait until I have more SCUBA experience so I can really enjoy that small coral formation ya'll have down there. It would be nice to take advantage of being in that corner of the planet and see some of New Zealand at the same time.

Yeah, but you never see them unless you go looking for them.

I noticed that there were a couple of posts commenting on how we don't like American tourists... not so.

In our eyes there are two types of American tourists: Type A that tell us we drive on the 'other' side of the road and type B that tell us we drive on the 'wrong' side of the road... catch my drift?

Unfortunately the very few sometimes give the vast majority a bad name... but that happens everywhere.

yes but the parents are too cheap and im about a thousand dollars away from my dream trip to the grand canyon and yellow stone. oh ya baby watch im the next geologist chick to hit the planet!!!
oh wait thats my minor sorry

Have you ever travelled down here for a holiday? No

Would you like too? Yes... but unless i take my school refund check.. ditch school for a semester and go there instead its not in my near future

General view? lots of pretty landscapes... neet animals (cmon the duckbilled platypus is awesome) and just seems like it would be a cool place to visit...

Thank you. Thank you. You are too kind. :)

During the 8 months or so, spread across many vacations, I spent in Oz, I have never come across anyone that expressed dislike for me because I am American. (I'm sure I provided many other reasons, though :D). I found everyone to be extremely friendly, laid back, and generous. In fact, in a pub I very seldom had to buy my own beer. People seemed to want to talk to me just because I'm from the US. I shouted often though - didn't want to leave the wrong impression.

As far as the nasty bitey things go, I have seen many in the wild - red bellied black snake, king brown, crocs, sharks, stone fish, box jellies, dingos (heh heh), etc. I spent a lot of time hiking in the hinterland, walking in the desert, and diving on the reef. I wasn't looking for them, but I was in their world. They gave me a wide berth, as I did them.

BTW, I've seen many nasties here in the US - rattle snakes, cottonmouths, alligators, black widows. So we are not the non-venonous toothless nirvana some would like to believe.

And cost? Recently I saw round trip airfare from LA to Sydney for $800. And once you get there, the US dollar goes very far.

Believe me. It's worth the trip. Just be advised that you will probably find yourself wanting to cash in your return ticket.

Yes, but only because it is sufficiently remote to make it a worth while goal for a sailing destination after I get my boat.