In true spirit of harnessing the power of the region’s namesake – sunshine – Visit Sunshine Coast has launched its latest “groundbreaking” campaign.
The Sunshine Moments campaign launched this week, encouraging holidaymakers to visit the Sunshine Coast to find their own ‘Sunshine Moment’ that will leave them beaming from the inside out.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said the campaign showcased what sets the region apart from other destinations and would go a long way in rebuilding the interstate markets that were impacted throughout the pandemic.
“We have a lot of confidence that Sunshine Moments will connect with travellers and importantly see us get back numbers of more than one million interstate visitors that we had prior to the pandemic,” he said.
The campaign embraces the destination’s name and shows visitors that on the Sunshine Coast sunshine is not just a thing, but it’s also a feeling.
“Here on the Sunshine Coast, we’re both sunny by name and sunny by nature, with the campaign inviting visitors to come here and find their Sunshine Moment,” Mr Stoeckel said.
In a world first, the campaign ad was filmed using solar power in nine locations across the Sunshine Coast, with a portable 5kw solar generator attached to the film crew’s production vehicle powering everything from cameras to laptops, battery chargers and hair dryers.
The decision to film the ad using solar reflected the sustainability credentials of the destination and leverages the trend of sustainable travel.
A recent study by The Expedia Group, the 2022 Sustainable Travel Study, found a staggering 90 per cent of holiday makers were looking for sustainable options when travelling.
“The Sunshine Coast is the only destination in the world where three UNESCO Biospheres sit side-by-side, and Sunshine Moments provides a platform to share the sustainability stories from some incredible eco-tourism operators on the Sunshine Coast to attract likeminded travellers,” Mr Stoeckel said.
Sunreef Mooloolaba’s Jonny Fell said the theme of the campaign was at the heart of what the company deliver every day, including ‘sunshine moments’ snorkelling with turtles and the incredible opportunity to swim with whales.
“One of the strongest emerging trends in travel is the demand for ‘meaningful’ travel, particularly nature-based travel – an intimate interaction with a whale or a turtle is an experience people never forget,” Mr Fell explained.
“We are involved in the campaign by providing deals that will be shared with travellers to drive interest during the shoulder seasons and outside of holiday periods – particularly from the interstate markets of New South Wales and Victoria.”
To best capture the essence of the destination, Sunshine Moments was also filmed using those who really know a thing or two about Sunshine Moments: Sunshine Coast locals.
“Real people, real experiences, real nature and real authenticity is at the heart of what makes the Sunshine Coast so special,” Mr Stoeckel said.
Sunshine Moments will be rolled out in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, across multi-media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WeAre8, Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD), YouTube pre-roll, Programmatic Display and Native Tiles.
Find your next Sunshine Moment at the Visit Sunshine Coast website.
Locals are also encouraged to share their Sunshine Moment via #sunshinemoment
Behind the scenes of Sunshine Moments
- Sunshine Moments was filmed using sunshine from the Sunshine Coast, with a portable 5kw solar generator made up of solar panels and inverters on their production vehicles powering all their equipment on set, from cameras to laptops, battery chargers and even hair dryers. The film crew and local talent involved in the shoot also took steps to travel sustainably across the destination.
- VSC worked with EarthCheck to determine any additional greenhouse emissions from the shoot across road travel, accommodation and waste sent to landfill that was not able to directly use solar power, engaging Reforest to remove these emissions.
- Sunshine Moments is being rolled out across paid social media, with VSC booking a percentage of its social media spend through the company WeAre8 – the world’s only carbon-negative social media platform.
Visitor statistics
- Sunshine Moments will be critical in helping lure back interstate visitors to the Sunshine Coast and crucial to supporting the Sunshine Coast tourism industry during mid-week and off-peak periods.
- Prior to the pandemic, the Sunshine Coast attracted approximately one million interstate visitors (NSW and Victoria) per year. To the year ending June 2022, there was 737,000 interstate visitors to the region, which is 34 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels.
- Intrastate (Queensland) visitation has been strong for the destination and to the year ending June 2022, the Sunshine Coast was visited by 3.1 million up 6.9 per cent.
- This campaign will build on the strong demand for the destination reflected in the recent National Visitor Survey for the year ending June 2022 which showed record overnight visitor expenditure for the Sunshine Coast, a total of $3 billion, which is up 8.4 per cent compared to the same time in 2019 pre-COVID.
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