Qantas partners with Tourism Australia on new safety video

The two parties spectacularly fell out in 2012 when Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce withdrew funding support for Tourism Australia, saying at the time it was no longer possible to work with the organisation given its then-chairman Geoff Dixon was among a group of investors who were pushing for change at the airline.

However, in June 2015 Dixon stepped down as chairman, replaced by chartered accountant Anthony South.

Joyce told reporters at the safety video launch in Los Angeles on Wednesday (US time) the time was right for Qantas to again be working with Tourism Australia.

“We always said the reason we weren’t working with Tourism Australia back in 2012 was there was a conflict of interest with the chairman that was there,” Joyce told Fairfax Media’s Traveller website.

“There’s a new chairman and CEO and we felt the timing was appropriate for working together again.”

Qantas said in a statement on Thursday (Australian time) the video would be seen on domestic and international flights from February, as well as online with support of Tourism Australia.

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“Qantas and Tourism Australia will work together over the next 12 months to promote the locations featured and maximise the benefits for local tourism operators,” Qantas said.

“In particular, Tourism Australia will lend its social media marketing power, helping the video reach millions of people globally.”

Joyce said in a statement: “Qantas has always been the biggest private sector supporter of Australian tourism and we’re delighted to be working with Tourism Australia on the social media campaign that goes with the new video.”

While Australian cricketers, rugby players and Olympic athletes, not to mention the airline’s ambassador John Travolta, have been used in previous safety videos, this latest version celebrates the beautiful Australian landscape, including the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Sydney’s Bondi Beach and Hamilton Island in Queensland.

Joyce said the safety video was a great way to “grab people’s attention and get them focused on the safety information that every Qantas customer needs to know”.

“We’ve experimented with different settings for our safety videos over the years, but this time we saw an opportunity to celebrate Australia itself,” Joyce said in a statement.

“The result is something that we believe is really special and powerful, but warm, funny and down to earth at the same time, because it’s about everyday Australians.”

Despite pulling its funding with Tourism Australia in 2012, Qantas in the years that followed forged a number of partnerships with state-based tourism bodies.

The full video can be seen below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44MdMGWqHB4