Qantas has buried the hatchet with Tourism Australia and has agreed a A$20 million tourism promotion partnership.
Qantas ended funding abruptly four years ago after the then chairman of Tourism Australia Geoff Dixon was accused of spearheading an attempt to ‘destabilise’ the airline.
Dixon was also a former Qantas chief executive.
The new three-year deal is described as a ‘new era of partnership’ aiming to ‘better reach customers considering travelling to Australia’.
“Both Qantas and Tourism Australia want the same thing – a strong tourism industry that makes Australia the first choice for people all over the world. With tourism both to and within Australia on the rise, it’s the ideal time for us to join forces again,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
“This new investment builds on the marketing we already do and our partnerships with state and territory governments to put Australia’s best foot forward.”
Both parties will jointly fund international marketing campaigns including public relations functions, social media, trade promotions and digital advertising.
It will mostly focus on main source markets in the UK, Europe, Asia, and the US.
They will also collaborate on data sharing.
“When you consider the nature of our respective businesses, this is a deal which just makes sense – for Tourism Australia, for Qantas and, most of all, for Australian inbound tourism,” said Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan.
