How Promotional Products Can Help the Australian Tourism Industry

The Australian tourism industry has been fighting something of an uphill battle in recent years due to various global events impacting demand and a resulting reduction in tourism businesses that has created supply-side constraints as well. With many small hotels and other hospitality industry businesses closing since 2020, some industry observers are concerned about the prospect of tourists being unable to find accommodation and related services should demand suddenly increase. Clearly, a comprehensive solution that tackles both supply and demand-side issues is needed.

Providing financial incentives and the economic conditions required to support a thriving tourism industry is the job of the government of the day, and there is little that individual business owners can do to improve matters at a nationwide level. However, there is a great deal that tourism industry businesses can do to improve demand for their products and services, as we explore in today’s article.

The Role of Promotional Products in Australian Tourism Marketing

In our experience, promotional products have a vital, multifaceted role to play in marketing campaigns for the Australian tourism industry as a whole, as well as for individual organisations and destinations. The most important ways in which branded merchandise can help tourism industry businesses promote their products and services include:

• A Tangible Reminder of Pleasant Times – With beautifully engraved keyrings or colourful bucket hats, you can give your customers a lasting memento of their time in Australia and their experiences with your business.
• Attracting New Tourists With Practical Gifts – In many cases, promotional products can be used to attract new customers to visit a specific destination or business to see what they have to offer. You could, for example, offer all visitors to your business a free water bottle emblazoned with your name and contact information. 
• Increasing Brand Visibility Worldwide – When habitual travellers are given promotional products such as branded clothing and bags, the resulting exposure for your company can be huge.

With all these benefits, it’s easy to imagine how powerful a well-thought-out marketing campaign centred on promotional products could be for your tourism industry business in Australia.

Ideal Products for Australian Tourism Campaigns

There are dozens of different types of promotional products – from lanyards and laptop bags to belt buckles and golf tees, you’re spoilt for choice. However, certain promotional products tend to perform better than others, where the Australian tourism industry is concerned. If you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck, we recommend focusing on branded merchandise in the following categories:

• Beach Basics – Think colourful towels, beanies, water bottles, chairs, picnic sets and blankets.
• Holiday Accessories – Luggage tags, luggage, travel journals and washbags are just a few examples of popular holiday accessories to consider.
• Eco-Friendly Gifts – Anything made from sustainable materials automatically scores bonus prizes in today’s world.
• Clothing – T-shirts, boardies and bathers are all good choices for clothing giveaways.
• Traditional Souvenirs – Traditional holiday mementoes, such as decorative shells and wooden boats, can be very effective as marketing tools with appropriate branding.

Any or all of the above promotional product types could be perfect for your next campaign. To narrow the choice, we suggest that you first consider potential distribution strategies, which we discuss next, and ways to measure the effectiveness of each promotional product that you use. Certain products lend themselves more to certain distribution strategies, so once you’ve decided when and how you would like to distribute your branded merchandise, it will be easier to select appropriate product categories and individual products.

Tourism Industry Promotional Product Distribution Strategies

There are several tried and tested ways in which you can distribute your promotional products to existing and potential customers. Depending on the precise nature of your tourism industry business in Australia, some of these ways may be more effective or easier to implement than others.

• Direct Mailing – If you have a mailing list of people who have registered their interest in your business, either through a website or face-to-face interactions, you could mail your promotional products directly to these potential customers.
• In-Person Giveaways – Certain businesses, such as local stores and hotels, may find in-person giveaways the most convenient distribution strategy.
• Corporate Gifting – You may find it profitable to present your most valuable business partners with high-quality promotional products.
• Prizes and Gifts at Special Events/Competitions – If you organise a beach BBQ, sporting competition or similar type of event, you can present your guests with branded merchandise.

If you’re unsure which distribution strategies to try first, take a close look at what your nearest competitors are doing and the results they have achieved.

Measuring Your Progress: Tracking Key Performance Metrics

By closely monitoring key performance metrics for each promotional product you employ in your marketing campaigns, you can pinpoint the most effective products. You can also make adjustments on the fly if a campaign appears to be underperforming for any reason.

• Social Media Engagement – This is an excellent way to gauge the effectiveness of promotional products, especially if the products in question are printed with the URLs of your social media pages.
• Sales Data/Turnover – A quick glance at your latest sales or turnover figures will tell you how successful your latest campaign is.
• Surveys to Gauge Brand Awareness – Focused surveys to measure brand awareness are excellent tools for gauging how well you are doing with certain demographics.

Through repetition, your analytical skills will improve to the point where you can quickly identify the best-performing promotional products and distribution strategies. You can then use this information to adjust current and future campaigns, thereby capitalising on your findings.

Putting It All Into Practice

As an Australian tourism industry participant, you can use promotional products to give your customers a tangible memento of their experiences. You can also use these products to attract new tourists and increase your brand visibility worldwide. All you need are the right products and the right supplier, which is where Bladon WA comes in. As Australian promotional product specialists, we can meet all your needs with ease.