Tourism & Events Queensland

Turning Queensland’s 11 regions into reasons to travel.

Global instability was impacting travel confidence, with softer demand expected throughout winter 2026. But Australians still wanted a break. They were just looking for a different kind of holiday.

Audience search behaviour showed a growing appetite for shorter, simpler escapes, with switching off and relaxation becoming key travel motivations. For Tourism & Events Queensland, the opportunity was to tap into this shift and position Queensland as the easy, feel-good winter escape.

Queensland already had the ingredients to create That Holiday Feeling: warm weather, diverse destinations and experiences for every kind of traveller. The challenge was turning all those possibilities into a simple reason to choose Queensland.

Aruga developed an approach that encouraged a reset: mapping all 11 regions as different ways to escape, from adventure and indulgence to nature, culture, food and complete relaxation.

We brought the idea to life through a coordinated program of influencer collaborations and media famils, matching destinations with creators and journalists who could make each experience feel genuinely compelling and show audiences just how easy it could be to find their reset in Queensland.

Results

7.4M+

influencer video views

46,909

influencer engagements

$137k+

unpaid bonus content value

$85k+

saved through influencer negotiations

3.6M

media audience reach

$110k

media advertising value equivalent

Deliverables

Strategy & Creative

Developed the ‘Find Your Reset in Queensland’ campaign approach, translating travel insights into destination-specific stories spanning relaxation, adventure, food, culture and nature.

Influencer Engagement

Identified, negotiated and managed nine creators across priority markets, securing talent, content deliverables and additional value within allocated campaign budgets.

Media Famils

Delivered two targeted media famils, identifying priority journalists, pitching attendance and developing tailored itineraries designed to generate high-quality editorial coverage.

Stakeholder management

Coordinated TEQ, RTOs, operators, accommodation, activities, dining, transfers, talent and media across 11 regions and multiple concurrent famil itineraries.

Winning tactics

Tailored Creator Strategy.

Aruga matched creators to destinations and audiences rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, giving each Queensland region a distinctive story and creators a natural reason to tell it.

Strategic Talent Negotiation.

Drawing on strong talent manager relationships and confident negotiation, Aruga challenged initial quotes and reshaped fees and deliverables to secure stronger creators while saving TEQ more than $85,000.

Proactive Budget and Logistics Management.

With multiple destinations, creators and media to coordinate, Aruga used detailed budget tracking, early travel planning and streamlined supplier liaison to keep costs and logistics under control. This gave the team the flexibility to adapt itineraries and talent requirements while keeping the program on track.

Scalable Team Collaboration.

With 20 people across the Aruga team, we could quickly scale up around this significant body of work, bringing the right people into the work at the right time and giving the campaign the agility to move quickly across 11 regions.