How to sell Canberra

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 12:08 pm

This place seems to have a fair number of parochial Canberra residents.

Now, I'm going somewhere with this, but let me ask in the first instance - How would you sell Canberra as a long term tourism destination (say 12 week) to an 18-30 demographic from Europe? What attractions in Canberra would bring someone from, say, Zurich or Paris? If you feel creative, how would you sell it to the same demographic from Latin America or North Asia?

Assuming that the purchase decision was made for Australia already, what would be the trigger, or series of triggers, that would then bring someone to the ACT?

I left Canberra 17 years ago and am seriously out of touch with both the city and with that demographic age. Someone help me out.

Please · Post by **Please** » December 16, 2013, 12:10 pm

Mooseheads bra

The Nickman · Post by **The Nickman** » December 16, 2013, 12:18 pm

I would promote "mystery tour" packages where for a small cost people get to attend a Raiders game with GE, followed up by a punt at a TAB with Nicko and then hit the casino with Luffty.

Post by **dubby** » December 16, 2013, 12:18 pm

From a tourist perspective?

That's a hard one for the demographic you specified.

Toviii · Post by **Toviii** » December 16, 2013, 12:27 pm

Canberra isn't a city for tourists.

-PJ- · Post by **-PJ-** » December 16, 2013, 12:32 pm

the raiders are in Canberra, that's all I'd need.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » December 16, 2013, 12:35 pm

Without wanting to derail the thread, I don't envy your task and frankly it's pretty tough sell under those circumstances. I don't think you can effectively sell canberra as a city over others in that scenario

-PJ- · Post by **-PJ-** » December 16, 2013, 12:43 pm

my wife won't allow us to move to Canberra. she once suggested we grab a Winnebago and travel around the country.When I told her it would be parked outside Canberra Stadium from March through to September she changed her mind.

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 12:52 pm

12 weeks is a long tourist visit for any city TR, assuming you are not trolling we probably need a bit more info.

Where are they staying ?, is it 12 weeks of total r and r or are they working/studying ? Do they have money ?

BJ · Post by BJ » December 16, 2013, 12:54 pm

I send people to the Eiffel tower of tuggeranong, "the home world tower" and then tell them blundells cottage is the birth place of James blundell.

They usually realize I am joking after I quote the phrase - "Canberra one of the greatest cities in the ACT. "

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 1:21 pm

Haha, this is going to be your problem tr, most of us are not particularly interested in tourists and the city is not really geared for it. It's not like the Gold Coast where you turn up pay your $100 and do Wally World like everyone else or sydney where all roads lead to the closest vomitorium. Think of it like inside the beltway in DC.

To the outsider there is nothing there but with the right attitude and a bit of inside help it is the most fascinating and interesting place in Australia.

For example a couple of my friends played golf at royal canberra with the 2011 world number 1 golfer Martin kaymer a couple of weeks ago but it is all kept very discreet and by invitation. Most of canberra is like that.

An insider could put together a three month itinerary that would have a Europeans eyes popping out. They would need to be reasonably urbane people though capable of moving in different environments and putting on a suit every now and then.

In those three months they could experience Australia's best

Trout fishing
Beaches
Golf courses
Restaurants
Sports facilities
Natural history and natural environment
Museums
Classical and hipster Culture and
nrl team

Just make sure they don't arrive and tell us how boring it is or their funny anecdote about their wife hating the place. In a heartbeat they will find themselves standing in civic wondering where all the people are.

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 1:22 pm

No, not trolling

Call it study tourism. And yes, they are cashed to the hilt on the whole.

Raidersrawesome · Post by **Raidersrawesome** » December 16, 2013, 1:27 pm

For me Canberra is more for the family orientated

Which isn't an issue in itself , some places aren't set up for your 18 year old party types

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 1:37 pm

Shadow Boxer wrote:Haha, this is going to be your problem tr, most of us are not particularly interested in tourists and the city is not really geared for it. It's not like the Gold Coast where you turn up pay your $100 and do Wally World like everyone else or sydney where all roads lead to the closest vomitorium. Think of it like inside the beltway in DC.

Interesting example. It's a pretty sophisticated market - they don't go to the GC, for example, they go to Noosa.

Is the consensus here that it can't be done? I'm putting together a little business plan (more of a vanity exercise than anything too serious at this point)....would be a hell of a challenge.

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 1:42 pm

T_R wrote:No, not trolling

Call it study tourism. And yes, they are cashed to the hilt on the whole.

All that stuff above could be put into an itinerary by a good concierge or travel agent. The local knowledge stuff is a bit harder to pre plan or put in a pamphlet so you would need the right person to help.

Go here on your first night http://www.sagerestaurant.net.au/mint-garden-bar/#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Then again I don't really know that demographic either so they are probably happy tojust get **** faced in sydney and visit bondi ink.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » December 16, 2013, 1:45 pm

I don't think it can be done. Not enough to offer people in Canberra.

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 1:46 pm

T_R wrote:
Shadow Boxer wrote:Haha, this is going to be your problem tr, most of us are not particularly interested in tourists and the city is not really geared for it. It's not like the Gold Coast where you turn up pay your $100 and do Wally World like everyone else or sydney where all roads lead to the closest vomitorium. Think of it like inside the beltway in DC.
Interesting example. It's a pretty sophisticated market - they don't go to the GC, for example, they go to Noosa.

Is the consensus here that it can't be done? I'm putting together a little business plan (more of a vanity exercise than anything too serious at this point)....would be a hell of a challenge.

Crossed in the mail with you, it could certainly be done. Three full months of 24 hours a day might be a push but any city would struggle a bit with that.

Excursions to thredbo, eucumbene and narooma would break it up.

The Nickman · Post by **The Nickman** » December 16, 2013, 1:50 pm

Last year I did six days in Canberra (Broncos and Panthers games) no worries at all.

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 2:02 pm

Canberra has been brilliantly sold previously: http://semanticallydriven.com/2012/01/w ... berra.html

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 2:51 pm

Haha, yeh that one did the rounds of the public service earlier this year.

Canberra was great in the late 70's, a big country town, lots of money around.

You didn't have to go far to bump into someone you knew. It'a bit of a big city now.

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 3:02 pm

SB, that's kind of what set my mind moving. I really don't think Canberra is quite the ghost town that it was when I was growing up there. Surely, there's an angle to take that would be attractive to international students (which is what I'm thinking about here).

Key factors we'd normally look at are things like - the profile of the area internationally, access to beach, availability of part time work, access to reasonably priced accommodation, proximity to international airport, further study options etc.

Canberra gets a very mixed report card.

Post by **greeneyed** » December 16, 2013, 4:06 pm

Shadow Boxer wrote:Haha, this is going to be your problem tr, most of us are not particularly interested in tourists and the city is not really geared for it. It's not like the Gold Coast where you turn up pay your $100 and do Wally World like everyone else or sydney where all roads lead to the closest vomitorium. Think of it like inside the beltway in DC.

To the outsider there is nothing there but with the right attitude and a bit of inside help it is the most fascinating and interesting place in Australia.

For example a couple of my friends played golf at royal canberra with the 2011 world number 1 golfer Martin kaymer a couple of weeks ago but it is all kept very discreet and by invitation. Most of canberra is like that.

An insider could put together a three month itinerary that would have a Europeans eyes popping out. They would need to be reasonably urbane people though capable of moving in different environments and putting on a suit every now and then.

In those three months they could experience Australia's best

Trout fishing
Beaches
Golf courses
Restaurants
Sports facilities
Natural history and natural environment
Museums
Classical and hipster Culture and
nrl team

Just make sure they don't arrive and tell us how boring it is or their funny anecdote about their wife hating the place. In a heartbeat they will find themselves standing in civic wondering where all the people are.

You could add snow, restaurants/cafés/wineries, politics. Just have a look at what Canberra Tourism did for the Human Brochure campaign. There were lots of young, social media savy folks participating, and they loved the place. Not every young person wants to spend a whole three months lying on a beach. Three months is a long time, even at the Sunshine Coast.

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 5:03 pm

greeneyed wrote: You could add snow, restaurants/cafés/wineries, politics. Just have a look at what Canberra Tourism did for the Human Brochure campaign. There were lots of young, social media savy folks participating, and they loved the place. Not every young person wants to spend a whole three months lying on a beach. Three months is a long time, even at the Sunshine Coast.

Very true, GE...but my point is that we'd need to look at the 18-30 Euro market, and they are really not going to come to Australia for the snow (they walk outside for that), food (the take the train for a couple of hours to Paris), and most wouldn't be in the slightest bit aware of interested in our politics (and often not their own).

Not the right angle at this stage. I will keep mulling over it.

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 5:13 pm

T_R wrote:SB, that's kind of what set my mind moving. I really don't think Canberra is quite the ghost town that it was when I was growing up there. Surely, there's an angle to take that would be attractive to international students (which is what I'm thinking about here).

Key factors we'd normally look at are things like - the profile of the area internationally, access to beach, availability of part time work, access to reasonably priced accommodation, proximity to international airport, further study options etc.

Canberra gets a very mixed report card.

Canberra is already kind of king of the international students.

The ANU is held in massive esteem in Asia as one of the top 50 universities in the world. My daughter tells me the science cohort is almost entirely overseas students.

ADFA and duntroon are considered near the peak in that field with lots of overseas students coming and the uni of canberra has made massive moves into the market by sponsoring the Brumbies for NZ, pacific and SA exposure. They have also sponsored the sydney big bash team for exposure into India.

There's also an international hotel school the AIS and the tafe's

With canberra again dominating the rest of the country in Naplan scores the education sector is fiercely competitive.

A one room unit on the ANU campus will set you back $500 a week if you can get one. Rents are really high as well although that may change over the next few years.

It depends what they are looking for I guess, a posting to an embassy in canberra is hotly contested because of the opportunities it presents to educate the family.

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 5:20 pm

SB, Canberra is so far from the king of international students that it doesn't begin to rate a consideration. I mean, it's just not on the map.

Australia gets about 6% of the world market. Canberra gets just under 2% of that 6%, and it's the only Australian city to show a decline in 2013 to date. It just doesn't exist as a player.... it's as close to greenfields as exists in the western world.

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 5:30 pm

33% of the students coming to Australia sounds pretty good for a small city but not my field.

I guess I was just kind of saying the market here is pretty saturated for the existing schools. I don't think they have heaps of vacancies.

Post by **T_R** » December 16, 2013, 5:43 pm

Ah, no. 2% OF 6%. As in 2% of students coming to Australia come to Canberra.

Shadow Boxer · Post by **Shadow Boxer** » December 16, 2013, 5:55 pm

Lol, I'll be quiet now.

Do you bring them here to go to existing institutions or are you talking about setting up your own ?

I don't think o/s students have any prejiduce against canberra, they seem to get them here ok for uni. That said I have no real idea.

Post by **greeneyed** » December 16, 2013, 6:08 pm

TR, why not go to Canberra Tourism, if you're looking at how to sell the city, as they've been quite innovative in what they've been doing. And obviously, not all of the things in Canberra are going to be of interest to people from, say, Europe (I do know what's there, I lived there for four years). But some of those things I mentioned are still going to be quite uniquely Australian, for say, students from north Asia. You might get surprised by how many people get interested by things like politics and history, as well.

In terms of universities, ANU is one of only two Australian unis in the top 100 universities in the world. And I know when I've been there, ANU seems to have a very high proportion of international students. Clearly the numbers are small, though, compared to the main State capitals.

BJ · Post by BJ » December 16, 2013, 7:48 pm

In all seriousness - the war memorial is the best in the world. I went to war museums across Europe and US and nothing competes.

The national art and portrait gallery's are great. Tour the AIS if they are into sport. Tidbinbilla on the boardwalk and the hike to Gibraltar rocks is magnificent. Although I like the walk up mt Taylor where you are guaranteed to see kangaroos.

Then go for lunch at Silo and if they are strugglers than get the bread from silo and cheese from the Kingston IGA and eat it in green square.

afgtnk · Post by **afgtnk** » December 16, 2013, 7:53 pm

One of my cousins is German and he came to Australia a couple of months ago. Born and bred in Munich, 32-33ish so slightly out of your age bracket but he's probably really 20 odd at heart, "trendy", works as a software development consultant for the likes of BMW and Audi. He's quite well traveled, having been to most countries in Europe.

He saw Melbourne, Gold Coast, Sydney and Canberra - with Canberra coming out as his favourite. He loved the place, and it wasn't just said to appease me.

Coming from Munich the things he loved were the famous landmarks and institutions, flora and fauna, openness, space, cleanliness, relative tranquility and peace, quaintness, quality of housing and accommodation and something as simple as the quality of the air.

So basically all things that you most likely would've experienced in your time living in Canberra (and maybe have taken for granted), but something a European living in maybe busy and cramped conditions would see as luxury. Expect now there's a decent enough nightlife, quality restaurants, bit of a hipster culture, etc.

Hope that helps a bit.

Dr Zaius · Post by **Dr Zaius** » December 16, 2013, 8:14 pm

I'd imagine that the young European's stereotype of Australia is the beach culture. Anything else would be a tough sell.

Post by **greeneyed** » December 16, 2013, 8:20 pm

Frankly, they don't have much idea, apart from the fact it's the land of kangaroos, and lots of deserts, wilderness, wild open spaces, sharks and dangerous critters.

afgtnk · Post by **afgtnk** » December 16, 2013, 8:23 pm

That pretty much nails my cousins preconceived thoughts about the place.

He had no clue about places like Bondi Beach.

Captain Punish · Post by **Captain Punish** » December 16, 2013, 8:33 pm

My partner is from Wales. She's been in Australia for 9 years and she's been to Canberra once. Last year. I took her down for a game. Well dragged her down is more the term many would use.

Her and many many of her friends from the UK have no interest in Canberra. To the degree that they only fly over it to see the two major cities.

It's out of the way, it's not exciting and if they want snow and things to do, they are travelling.. They will go to NZ. Its a hell of a lot better there. And I don't just mean the snow.

If I wasn't born and bred in Canberra, and wanted to go there and I stress - only for the football, I'd have not gotten her and the 3 other car loads of people to the Nations Capital who'd not been there either.. And some were Australian..

Sorry. I can't help.