Tourism Queensland is in the midst of an absolutely brilliant marketing campaign. It goes like this: Announce to the world that you’re hiring an “caretaker” for one of the islands in the Great Barrier Reef. The pay is $100,000AUD for a six-month stint, and all the caretaker has to do is feed the fish, clean the pool and blog all about his or her adventures swimming and snorkeling and playing in the ocean.
Uh, hello! Pick, me! Pick, me!
Indeed, I’d happily move my whole family to Australia to take this “job”! My husband could homeschool the kids while I’m out bushwalking and shooting underwater video of tropical fish. I’ve got it all thought out.
Unfortunately, Tourism Queensland didn’t want me. Yep, I uploaded my 60-second application video that detailed why I’m the best person for the job. I even got my kids involved. I (frankly) thought it was darling. But I was up against 35,000 other applicants and didn’t make the cut. (Not to mention, I believe all but one of TQ’s shortlisted applicants are under age 30; clearly, they’re looking for a hot young thing to rep the destination.)
So, I’m posting it below to see if any other tourism boards (shout out to Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and Caribbean Islands) would be interested in hiring a bright, professional (and, ahem, mature) writer who’s super-involved in social media and who has a super-cute family that would be willing to relocate for six months to help you promote your destination.
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