Australia dreams up another tourism promotion stunt

Sydney - Entries were flowing in Saturday for the free long-distance taxi rides the state government in Western Australia is offering 22 winners in the nation's latest off-beat tourism promotion campaign. The western one-third of the continent, keen to match Queensland's successful "best job in the world" competition, is asking would-be travelers from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Singapore, Malaysia and Germany to send in applications to be passengers on 11 lengthy rides from Perth, the state capital.

"Even though the campaign was only launched last month, it's already received global media coverage and significant interest from people around the world," state Tourism Minister Liz Constable said of the promotion, called The Extraordinary Taxi Ride.

Even the contest for the taxi driver had 460 entries, with the winner in line for a big tip at the end of a 6,500-kilometer drive around the state.

Competition winners would get to travel in the back of the taxi beginning next month.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/313877,australia-dreams-up-another-tourism-promotion-stunt.html.