I received a note in my mail box , it was short and to the point. "great article on Suite 101. Any chance of linking me" it was signed Jai Goulding. So I thought I would check out his site. What I found was my new Number One on my Top Five Sites, Fleurieu on Web. It is a great site, full of up to the minute information on one of the most beautiful regions of South Australia. This small note not only got me thinking but it also pricked my conscious about the state of tourism advertinsing in Australia and our whole attitude towards it.
I find that the majority of Government and big business Tourism Agencies base all their advertising on the "big dollar" drawcards. Such well known attractions as Queensland's, Gold Coast and Great Barrier Reef, Central Australia's , Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock) and Sydney. These places typically attract the majority of tourists to Australia and many of them never even realize that there is so much more to this beautiful country than these few well known spots.
Of course there is an exception to this and that is the hoards of backpackers that invade our unique land every year. However that is simply the nature of backpacking. The whole idea of heading off on a back packing adventure is to explore uncharted waters and head off the beaten track.
I believe it is a sad indication of the power of advertising, that even most Aussies find the major attractions a draw card when they head off on vacation. Of course this is what advertising is all about, bringing in the dollars. In that respect it serves it's purpose, however there are so many wonderful sights to see in Australia, that it is a pity when traveling for around 14 hours or more to get here that you should confine yourself to the main tourist spots.
The main reason I started my Virtual Tours of Oz web pages, was so that I could share with my numerous American friends this wonderful and unusual country I live in. So many of them in their e- mail to me wanted to know more about Australia and until I started my Web site, I had no idea how to go about it. As well as visiting the main attractions, I also try to take you to places that are a little more out of the way.
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