News

The state of Queensland, Australia needs to shake off its image as a dangerous destination if it is to gain the full advantage of the European travel market, an industry conference has been told.

Kai Ostermann, Tourism Queensland's regional director for Europe, said that the state is being hindered by its image as a 'creepy-crawly jungle', the Australian Associated Press reports.

Many Europeans are wary of sharks, snakes, spiders and insects, Mr Ostermann claimed, and these phobias have been exacerbated by TV programmes such as I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of Here, which portray the Australian jungle as a dangerous environment.

This is not the only issue that is discouraging people from visiting Australia, however, with many Europeans reportedly believing that it is too far away and more of a 'once in a lifetime' destination that a regular holiday spot.

Jane Nicholson, Tourism Queensland's director for the UK and Ireland, said that a sense of 'fatigue' is becoming an issue among British travellers in particular.

'They see the soaps, they hear Australian accents on the way to work,' she said. 'We need to tell them there's more to us.'

Queensland, in north-east Australia, is the country's second largest state by area. Its south-eastern corner contains the tourist destinations of Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

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