Tourism Australia scoops world-first partnership

Young caucasian couple lying in bed together. Close up of female and male feet in pajamas.

Tourism Australia has jumped into bed with BuzzFeed Australia to launch an exciting new campaign aimed at attracting the next generation of storytellers to Aussie shores.

The pair have unveiled the first ever BuzzFeed Mateship program, a once-in-lifetime fellowship and travel program that will see the chosen ‘Mates’ work, travel and capture content across Australia.

Eight travellers and aspiring content creators of the millennial variety will be flown in from the UK, Germany, Italy and France.

They’ll then be spreading their wings and exploring Australia on a three-month road trip, to discover and report on some of the most unique, eye-opening and breathtaking experiences across the country.

Their content will be shared by both Tourism Australia and BuzzFeed.com social channels.

Known as the BuzzFeed Mates, they will head off-the-beaten-track to discover some of Australia’s very best local culture, festivals, surf breaks, food and wine offerings.

They will be given a bespoke itinerary filled with things that appeal to the young traveller, like swinging on the world’s fastest Minjin jungle swing in Cairns, enjoying world class music acts at one of Australia’s many summer festivals or discovering ancient watering holes in Kakadu National Park.

Throughout the program, the Mates will learn to create spectacular digital content and master social storytelling and will snag their very own mentor from the BuzzFeed Australia editorial team or Tourism Australia.

Each Mate will be tasked with documenting their experiences and sharing them with the world on dedicated BuzzFeed social feeds.

“As far as working holidays go, I think you’d have to go a long way to beat this. It’s the road trip to end all road trips,” said John O’Sullivan, Tourism Australia’s Managing Director.

“We’re excited to partner with Tourism Australia to give our audience around the world the opportunity to come and embed with the BuzzFeed Australia team, learn new creative skills and see the best of what this country has to offer, added Simon Crerar, Editor-In-Chief and General Manager BuzzFeed Australia.

“It’s truly the opportunity of a lifetime, and we can’t wait to see what the BuzzFeed Mates create!”

Entries for the Buzzfeed Mateship program are open to applicants from the UK, Germany, Italy and France. The entries are open from 2-18 August to creative professionals and enthusiasts alike. Application details can be found online at buzzfeed.com/jobs.

Tourism Australia’s partnership with BuzzFeed forms part of a new campaign set to launch in October, with the end goal of getting our true blue nation back on the map for the young kids.

And if you’re sitting there having a little ponder on why this campaign’s so important, consider this – the youth segment makes up a quarter of all international arrivals to Australia and 44 per cent of visitor spend.

“These eight-lucky young travellers have a life-changing trip ahead of them and one which we believe will motivate many more young international travellers to follow in their footsteps,” said Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo.

“The Turnbull Government recognises the importance of bringing more young people to Australia, both to travel and work, and that is why we have made improvements to the working holidaymaker program and committed $10 million to Tourism Australia for this campaign.”

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

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