Sunshine Coast Destination
Sunshine Coast, located in Queensland, is one of the best tourism destinations in the world. The destination is located approximately 100 Km to the North of Brisbane. Visitors to this place enjoy seeing national parks, rich coastal culture, Glass House Mountains, tourism experiences, among other attraction sites (Abel 2010). Accommodation is also available at Sunshine Coast. An advert obtained at www.sunshinecoastholidays.com.au was advertising Sunshine Coast’s new brand, Sunshine Coast, Naturally Refreshing. According to the advert, the destination is refreshing because it has beaches, subtropical forests, rivers, warm sunshine, and fresh water lakes. Sunshine Coast’s brand is “Sunshine Coast, Naturally Refreshing”, and the target markets include social fun seekers, active explorers, stylish travellers, self-discoverers, un-winders and connectors (Addington 2010).
Analysis of key figures
According to Sunshine Coast Regional Snapshot (Queensland Government 2012), during the year ended June 2012, domestic overnight visitors were 2,924,000 and the international overnight visitors were 238,000. This summed up to 3,162,000 visitors during that year. Holiday domestic overnight holiday visitors were 1,661,000 and the holiday international overnight holiday visitors were 176,000, giving 1,837,000. Domestic overnight Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) were 978,000 and the international overnight VFR were 57,000. This summed up to 1,035,000 visitors. Business domestic overnight visitors were 208,000 and the business international overnight visitors were 8,000, adding up to 216,000 visitors. The total domestic expenditure was $1,741 million. On the other hand, international expenditure was $201 million. The total expenditure by visitors to the destination was $1,942 million (Sunshine Coast Regional Snapshot 2012).
Domestic visitation at Sunshine Coast marked an increase by the end of June 2012. This was because intrastate holidaymakers and VFR travellers increased. Pressures of the cost of living appeared to be contributing to the affordability of this travel option. Holidaymakers from Brisbane were more than those who visited Gold Coast. Day trips and overnight travels to this destination also increased remarkably, going back to pre-flood levels because the summer was not wet. It was noted that intrastate holiday travellers to Sunshine Coast declined significantly. The largest market for this destination was New South Wales. On the contrary, the Victorian market showed good performance (Addington 2010).
As regards international visitation, the performance had gone down by June 2012. This has been the trend over the years, but the magnitude of decline was a bit low as compared to last year. International markets of this destination include the United Kingdom and Europe. Economic instability in these countries is causing the decline. Most visitors from these countries are the youth, below the age of 35, and they are the ones who feel the effects of economic crisis; hence the decline in visitation. The Australian dollar has also appreciated in value, which is making visitation hard for Britain and European visitors (PR Newswire 2011). It was also noted that visitors from New Zealand decreased by 1%. This also led to the decline in visitation by New Zealanders.
On average, the stay period by intrastate visitors softened by the end of June. As a result, the length of stay decreased by 0.3 nights, which was a marginal drip. On the contrary, the length of stay by interstate holidaymakers increased. On average, the length of stay was 7.8 nights. Between June 2011 and June 2012, the length of stay by interstate holidaymakers showed a rise of 1.2 nights. As regards, interstate holidaymakers in Queensland, ‘Sunshine Coast, Naturally Refreshing’ had the highest stay duration (Sunshine Coast Regional Snapshot 2012).
During the year ended June 2012, the length of stay by international visitors increased significantly. This increase came because of the lengthy stay by international students and employees. Although they provide little visitors, Sunshine Coast realized that during this year, international visitors increased due to their visits to the destination. Length of stay in this region also increased due to international visitors who had come to work in Queensland over the holidays (Pike 2006).
Evaluation on the advertisement
Sunshine Coast, Naturally Refreshing is an advert that is advertising a re-named brand. It is advertising five coastal destinations, which include the sunshine coastal destination, Brisbane, Whitsundays, Gold Coast, and Tropical North Queensland. These are familiar destinations in Queensland, but by re-branding, customers can easily associate with the place. The design of the advert has a woman who appears refreshed by the overflowing water. Behind her is a green environment to show how natural the destination is. In the advert there are also other pictures showing the rich culture at the Australian coast. People enjoying themselves at the beach can be seen clearly. The advert shows that this is a real holiday destination where people can go and explore. The use of images in adverts is very effective because it can easily show emotions. The images show happy faces that are relaxed; hence in line with holiday experience. This shows that the advert uses critical advertisement theory whereby it incorporates the aspect of culture. It also uses the historical perspectives because the destination is historically known for holiday visiting.
The advert focuses on the product by portraying a sea view. According to marketing theories, adverts should focus on the product (Williams 2006). The advert shows a holiday destination, where visitors can focus on themselves, having put aside other day to day activities that they engage in back home. They want to have new experiences, share time with friends, bond with family and relatives, reflect on their lives, enrich their body and mind, enjoy life, and explore new things. The advert shows people who are fully relaxed, and enjoying themselves at the coast.
The advert does not focus on visitors’ age and income. Instead, the destination breaks down the market into six segments having understood its clients. It targets people who want to be refreshed by going for holiday. Segmentation is very important in marketing as it ensures that the advert focuses on the target market. It shows that the advert applied the Doyle's Five Criteria for Segmentation, which include measurable, relevant, accessible, distinguishable and feasible. This is a marketing theory that helps ensure that the message reaches the target market (Baker 2008).
This advert sounds so true because it shows the regions that are found at the coast. It shows the coast of Australia to be the best holiday destination where one feels refreshed. It shows how people mingle with the local people, hiking at the land, enjoying the beach, among others. The advert reflects a relaxed personality, and enjoyable leisure activities at the coast. It shows that this is a real holiday experience. In general, the advert shows that the destination refreshes the visitors, and it does so naturally. This shows that the advert uses the porters five forces model, which is yet another theory of advertising. Having understood the industry’s competitiveness, Sunshine Coast has come up with a unique strategy of differentiating itself from the competitors.
Conclusion
Sunshine Coast is a tourist destination. By analyzing the key figures of visitors to the destination, the expenditure, and the length of stay at the destination by visitors, it was found out that the main target groups are domestic visitors. International visitors also come to the destination. The advertisement that was analyzed shows that the market targets include the target markets includes social fun seekers, active explorers, stylish travellers, self-discoverers, un-winders and connectors. Sunshine Coast, Naturally Refreshing provides lovely beach sceneries, green hinterland, and smart rivers. The advert picture speaks by itself and the slogan speaks what to expect when you visit the destination.
Bibliography
Abel, D.A. 2010, "Olives, hospitality and tourism: a Western Australian perspective", British Food Journal, vol. 112, no. 1, pp. 55-68.
Addington, T. 2010, "Tourism Queensland launches new 'shiny' rebrand", B & T Weekly, .
"Australia's Sunshine State is 'Open For Business'", 2011, PR Newswire Europe Including UK Disclose.
Baker, M.J. & Cameron, E. 2008, "Critical success factors in destination marketing", Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 79-97.
Pike, S. 2006, "Destination decision sets: A longitudinal comparison of stated destination preferences and actual travel", Journal of Vacation Marketing, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 319-328.
Sunshine Coast Regional Snapshot Year ended June 2012
Sunshine Coast Holidays, 2012, www.sunshinecoastholidays.com.au
Williams, A. 2006, "Tourism and hospitality marketing: fantasy, feeling and fun", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 482-495.
