Taxi Promotions UK promotes the Commonwealth Games
In Australia, the Premier, Steve Bracks, recently welcomed to Melbourne six licensed London taxi drivers. The taxi ambassador drivers, and their taxis, are being used ion the UK to help promote Victoria in the lead up to the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Mr Bracks said the taxi advertising ambassador campaign is being run to raise awareness of Melbourne and Victoria, both as host of the 2006 Games, and also as an attractive tourist destination. "London cabbies are renowned for their driving skills, their local knowledge and their willingness to strike up a conversation," Mr Bracks said. "Who better to promote the Commonwealth Games, Melbourne and Victoria in the UK?" The London taxi drivers were flown out to Victoria by the State government there.
Mr Bracks said tourism is one of Victoria's top 10 industries; it contributes $10.6 billion annually to the economy. He continued by saying: "Initiatives like this will spread positive messages about Victoria and help us attract an anticipated 40,000 international and 50,000 interstate visitors to the Games." The Minister for Tourism, John Pandazopoulos, also welcomed the taxi drivers and said the UK taxi advertising campaign was part of a $7.6 million marketing strategy to raise awareness of Melbourne and Victoria ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
The taxi drivers, part of a taxi advertising campaign being run by Taxi Promotions UK in London, spent a week travelling along the Great Southern Touring Route, visiting Geelong, Bell's Beach, Apollo Bay, Loch Ard Gorge, the Twelve Apostles which they flew over by helicopter, Halls Gap, Sovereign Hill and also Phillip Island. They also enjoyed seeing the main tourism attractions of Melbourne “ on the back of motorbikes. Adriano Torlini was one of the drivers chosen for the trip. He said: "We're going down the Great Ocean Road, to Phillip Island, Ballarat, the Grampians" "all over the place."
Mr Pandazopoulos said: "This program allows the taxi drivers to experience the natural beauty and diversity of Victoria so that when they return to the UK, they can talk about the attractions they have seen. They can also remind potential UK visitors that the next big sporting event in the world is right here in Melbourne." 25 wrapped taxis are on the streets of London bearing colourful images of the Twelve Apostles. Afurther 150 cabs have supersides. "The United Kingdom is Victoria's largest single international tourist market with 212,000 visitors for the year ending September 2004," Mr Pandazopoulos said. These visitors spent 5.2 million visitor nights in Victoria “ an impressive increase of 28 per cent over the previous year. Of these, 31.3 % of them were visiting friends and relatives.
"We're looking forward to the British coming to Victoria in force for the 2006 Games." Mr Bracks congratulated the City of Melbourne and the Victorian Taxi Association for their support of the Melbourne Taxi Tourism Ambassador Program. This program will also result in Melbourne taxi drivers being trained as tourism ambassadors and linked into a new high-tech online tourism information update service in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
For further information please call us at 020 8458 7111 or email pr@taxipromotions.com
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