Home » News » Australia promotes cute and cuddly, not more realistic dangerous and wild

15 February, 2017

Australia promotes cute and cuddly, not more realistic dangerous and wild

Tourism Australia has launched a partnership with the Australian Wildlife Collection, as a way of promoting immersive ‘wildlife in the wild’ encounters across the country.

The partnership, which will complement other ‘best of’ type experiences such as Luxury Lodges of Australia and Great Walks of Australia, will stretch from coral reefs to dry rainforests, and will appeal to both domestic and international travellers.

The Australian Wildlife Collection combines 12 of Australia’s independent wildlife tourism experiences, including:

Exceptional Kangaroo Island;
Arkaba Wildlife Conservancy;
Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours;
Exmouth Diving;
Goin’ Off Safaris;
Lady Elliot Island;
Lords Kakadu and Arnhemland Safaris;
The Maria Island Walk;
Oz Whale Watching;
Premier Travel Tasmania;
SEIT Outback Australia and
Wildlife Coast Cruises

Australian Fur Seals - Phillip Island

“Increasingly we see wildlife travellers that understand the unprecedented rate of biodiversity loss across the world and want ensure their visit is sustainable and where possible, include opportunities to regenerate natural habitats for future generations,” said Craig Wickham, chair of the Australian Wildlife Collection and hailing from Exceptional Kangaroo Island.

“We are delighted to have assembled a group of world-class experiences and guides that are addressing this growing sense of custodianship.”

Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said the true blue Aussie nature and wildlife offerings are some of the main reasons international visitors choose to fly down under.

“Australia’s world-class nature is a major drawcard for international visitors and we know from our consumer research that for 38 per cent of travellers it is the most important factor when choosing their holiday destination, after factors such as safety and value for money,” O’Sullivan said.

“Amongst our international consumers, Australia’s beauty, aquatic and coastal and wildlife experiences have the strongest appeal – which is why they feature so prominently in our destination marketing around the world.”

Snorkelling with turtle - Credit Tourism Queensland

A focus for the Collection will be to provide content related to seasonal wildlife events and peak viewing opportunities across various wildlife categories.

The website provides access to an engaging series of seasonal wildlife stories, from bird watching and the best time to spot fishies, to catching the adorable marsupials back on dry land.

Across any given month, users are provided with a series of nationwide journey options that cater to their selected interests.

In addition to the platform enabling access to wildlife encounters in the wild and a high-quality image gallery, the non-profit organisation has started assembling a portfolio of guest programs that assist in the regeneration of local ecosystems.

Koala - Eyre Peninsula

The Australian Wildlife Collection will complement the other signature experiences promoted internationally by Tourism Australia, such as Luxury Lodges of Australia, Great Golf Courses of Australia, Great Walks of Australia, Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia and Great Fishing Adventures of Australia.

Advertise with us

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

australian wildlife collection tourism australia