TOURISM marketing gurus have scored a coup by tapping into millions of American Twilight movie fans to feature a Far Northern holiday giveaway.

Tourism Queensland has managed to get a promotion offering 20 fans and their partners a tropical north Queensland holiday on to one million DVD covers in Target stores, on the Walmart website and on to the Twilight Facebook site which has 27 million friends.

TQ is hoping the campaign will put the Far North, as well as this year’s solar eclipse, on the radar of US tourists.

The Far North is regarded as the best place in the world to see the eclipse in November.

Tens of thousands of people, including from the US, are expected to converge on Cairns and Port Douglas to witness the spectacle.

Member for Barron River Steve Wettenhall said TQ’s marketing effort was "innovative" and coincided with the US release of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 on February 11.

He said the holiday giveaway would be featured on one million copies of the DVD in Target stores, in Walmart stores and on line and on the Twilight Saga Facebook site.

"It will be part of a special deal to promote the US release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 on DVD and Blu-ray in the US with 20 prizes for two up for grabs," Mr Wettenhall said.

"It’s another top Tourism Queensland campaign with our region front and centre and in the box seat to benefit." he said. "What it will do is promote the Far North to millions of American fans of the hit Twilight Saga and will no doubt showcase that a holiday here must be on everyone’s must-do list."

The prize winners will get return airfares, seven nights’ accommodation and touring experiences.

Mr Wettenhall said TQ was hoping that some of the travellers would come to the region at the same time as the eclipse.

He said the US was an important market for the Far North with the latest data showing 74,000 visitors in the year to September 2011.

Share this article