OREANDA-NEWS. Qantas and the Victorian government have today signed a USD 12 million tourism cooperative agreement to market Victoria as a holiday destination internationally and within Australia.

Qantas International Chief Executive Officer Simon Hickey said he is extremely proud of this new partnership which will increase visitor numbers and tourism spending across Victoria.

“We are delighted to partner with the Victorian government and Tourism Victoria to promote the State to key international destinations and around Australia,” Mr Hickey said.

“This three-year marketing agreement will encourage more people to visit Victoria and will be a valuable injection for the Victorian tourism industry, creating jobs and promoting investment and development.”

“Our new partnership with Emirates will also increase visitors to Victoria, as the State is marketed to a bigger audience than ever before.”

The joint marketing agreement will target visitors from the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand and Australia.

The Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Louise Asher said the partnership takes Tourism Victoria and Qantas' existing collaborative activity to a new level and opens up a vast number of international and domestic opportunities to grow inbound visitors to Victoria.

“Qantas' status as one of Australia's most iconic brands and its exceptional visibility to international consumers is well aligned with Victoria's destination marketing strategy.

“This highlights Melbourne as a vibrant cosmopolitan city which offers many outstanding tourism experiences including an exciting events calendar, a world class culinary scene and many distinctive cultural attractions. It is also the gateway to many authentic and unforgettable experiences in regional Victoria,” Ms Asher said.

The partnership will include campaigns in key international markets including advertising special airfares and promotions around major events and activities.

The agreement will also have a strong focus on digital platforms including online and social media.

The first joint marketing campaign under the partnership will kick off on Wednesday 9 October, promoting Melbourne like never before and encouraging visitors to “Go before you go”.

Today's announcement follows similar deals between Qantas and New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory and takes the total joint investment in tourism to USD 72 million over three years.

Qantas operates over 1200 flights in and out of Melbourne each week, making Qantas the largest airline to service the city.