Devastating bushfires and disastrous floods made the start of 2020 the most difficult period in Australian tourism history with an estimated $4.5B in cancellations and lost revenue. As we picked up the pieces, a global pandemic brought the industry back to its knees.

We needed to slow the decline in booking demand and increase the intention of Australians to travel domestically.

Analyzing media consumption during lockdown, we discovered the world was in search of new forms of social interaction. News and personality anchored TV programming was up 17.4% YOY while social users were increasingly streaming LIVE content, with Facebook LIVE and YouTube LIVE audiences tripling compared to pre COVID-19 levels.

Our strategy was simple. With travel unattainable, we created something aspiring travelers could not get anywhere else.

LIVE From Aus (LFA): A LIVE broadcast television event leading into a full weekend schedule of LIVE Australian experiences streamed simultaneously on Facebook and YouTube.

We partnered with Ch10 and more than 40 tourism operators to create The Love Australia Project to kickstart the weekend. Extending open invitations via Facebook Push Event Ads, digital display and SEM, guides and hosts from every state and territory went LIVE on TA's Facebook and YouTube channels.

Across 32 hour-long live streams, millions of homebound viewers from more than 40 countries experienced feeding crocs in Darwin, scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, singing along with The Wiggles in Sydney, and watching the sunset on Uluru.

Demand through booking partners increased 3% and grew for six consecutive weeks, the first positive change WOW following 12 weeks of falling demand (Adara). There was also a 10% increase in Australians ‘very likely’ to undertake domestic travel when restrictions lifted. The Love Australia Project trended #1 on Twitter nationally and reached a TV audience of 1.27MM.