Queensland Named ‘Australia’s Home Of Country Music’: Campaign To Lure U.S. Tourists To Festivals

Queensland is using its major country music festivals to draw U.S. fans in its latest tourism initiative. 

The campaign is set to launch in Nashville after a deal struck Feb. 23 between the Queensland government and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp (NCVC) which claims almost 1 million country fans on its database.

It follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the government in 2018 with the Country Music Association to promote Queensland as “Australia’s home of country music.”

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said, “We have a world class line up of country music artists in 2020. This is such a great targeted initiative to attract thousands more American tourists to Queensland.”

Palaszczuk hoped that given the huge fund-raising response from the U.S. to recent bushfires and flooding, Americans will respond to the fact that “the tourism industry is struggling as a result of floods, fires and the coronavirus. Operators and businesses need all the help they can get. This initiative will have a great impact.”

NCVC president and CEO Butch Spyridon picked up the point, saying. “This is about neighbors helping neighbors, even if we are 9,000 miles apart. When devastation strikes in the world, we all need to come together.

“Nashville has had a growing relationship with Queensland, and we wanted to reach out and help in a meaningful manner.”

The campaign will focus on four major festivals: CMC Rocks Queensland, Groundwater Country Music Festival, Gympie Music Muster and Savannah in the Round.

CMC Rocks Queensland (March 18-22), which last year drew a record 23,000 to Willowbank Speedway. It is presented by Potts Entertainment, Chugg Entertainment and Frontier Touring.

The bill includes 19 international acts including Miranda Lambert on her first visit Down Under, Kip Moore, Billy Currington, Brothers Osbourne and Dustin Lynch alongside 12 major Aussie names as Morgan Evans, Lee Kernaghan and Adam Brand.

NCVC and Tourism and Events Queensland are also offering tourism experiences for CMC Rocks artists that can be promoted to their fans.

The free Groundwater Country Music Festival (July 24-26) on the Gold Coast, is another growing event which in 2019 drew 70, 000, up 20% on 2018, according to organizer Broadbeach Alliance.

The first round of acts, announced Feb. 20, included multi-platinum acts Kasey Chambers, Shannon Noll and Gina Jeffreys, along with country duo Sunny Cowgirls, alt-country guitarist Brad Butcher and blues-roots band The Audreys.

“There’s something special about having a music event propped up against the beach that just makes it a celebration,” said festival director Mark Duckworth.

Gympie Music Muster (Aug. 27-30) in the natural location of Amamoor Creek Forest, has already announced John Williamson, Beccy Cole, Eugene Hideaway Bridges, Travis Collins, Fanny Lumsden and Amber Lawrence with 100 acts in all to play five venues.

It started out as a charity initiative for the local farming community and draws around 22,000.

The inaugural Savannah in the Round (October 2-4) is expected to draw 15,000 tourists will have 30 international and Australian names to be announced to play the picturesque area of Cairns in the far north part of the state. 

A partnership between the Queensland government, Sound Australia and Tourism Tropical North Queensland, the event will also foreground First Nations culture, as part of Queensland’s 2020 Year of Indigenous Tourism initiative.

The government is forecasting an injection of A$4.5 million ($2.98 million) fresh tourism dollars into the region.