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ATDW listing guide
Gibson Steps, Great Ocean Road, Victoria © Tourism Australia
Learn how to create a great Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) listing for your business.
Quick links
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How to create a great ATDW listing
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What is ATDW and how does it help me?
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Benefits of a great ATDW listing
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Getting started with an ATDW listing
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Writing an engaging description for your listing
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Enhancing your listing with high-quality imagery
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Leveraging video to enhance your listing
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Spicing up your listing with seasonal deals
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Let guests know they’re booking with a COVID safe business
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Amplifying your listing with a campaign feature
Australian tourism data warehouse
How to create a great ATDW listing
Have you ever wondered how you can attract more travellers to your business with less effort? Look no further than the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) – the best way to spread information at scale to hundreds of recognisable and reputable tourism sites. ATDW offers you an even playing field to impress and attract more guests, but it’s up to you to really make your listing sing!
What is ATDW and how does it help me?
ATDW is a trusted database and distribution platform created by the joint effort of Tourism Australia and all Australian State and Territory Government Tourism Organisations. Its main purpose is to provide small and medium-sized tourism businesses like yourself with a one-stop shop to advertise your business information and have it widely distributed and published – not to mention making it easier for travellers to find the right information while planning their itineraries.
Benefits of a great ATDW listing
With a single listing, you can keep everything up to date for your customers across relevant travel websites and smartphone apps including State, Territory and Regional Tourism websites.
Plus, you’ll:
- Increase
Increase exposure for your business by appearing on hundreds of sites already known and trusted by Australian and international travellers;
- Simple and efficient
Enjoy the simplicity and cost efficiency of creating a single listing that backlinks to your website for booking enquiries;
- Easy controls
Have the control and peace of mind of a bulk-published business listing you can update quickly and easily.
It’s easy to see why ATDW is a favourite digital marketing tool for tourism, events and hospitality operators. And by learning how to create and optimise your own ATDW listing, it can become a valuable part of your ongoing marketing strategy too.
Getting started with an ATDW listing
Your first step is finding out if you already have an existing listing on ATDW. It’s not uncommon to find that a member of your business or a State or Territory Tourism Organisation has already registered a listing for you, so start by trying to locate your listing on the ATDW database. If you find one, try logging in. If you can’t, follow the prompts to reset your password and gain access to your account. If you’re not listed, first contact your State or Territory Tourism Organisation and check that you’re eligible. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to register on the ATDW website and create your listing.
Writing an engaging description
Whether you’re updating an existing listing or creating a new one from scratch, a captivating description is key to attracting customers.
- Show don’t tell
Focus on the core benefits your business can offer rather than just stating the facts. For example, instead of saying “Access to hotel pool and bar facilities”, say “Guests can kick back with one of our handmade cocktails and a good book next to our lagoon-like outdoor pool.”
- Don't go overboard
Details like times, dates, costs, contact details and hyperlinks will get rejected after you submit, so don’t include these in your description – they can go elsewhere. Your description is a place to sell what your business is all about, not explain every nut and bolt.
- Get to the point quickly
Think of your ATDW listing like an elevator pitch, with your most important information, like your business or event name, in the first one or two sentences of your listing. Remember to write short and simple sentences that can be read easily both by customers and search engines to improve your listing’s SEO.
- Save a draft as you craft
You should write your draft description in a word document before you copy and paste it into ATDW. This will help you refine the copy to it’s best while keeping a convenient record for any future updates.
When drafting your listing, make sure to have all your details ready to go, including your ABN, website URL, contact details, social media accounts and any other relevant links for your business. You’ll also need to adhere to word and character limits, so it’s best to familiarise yourself with the ATDW content guidelines before you decide on a template for your document.
Remember, what's important for guests to know about your business might change over time, so don't forget to go back and update your listing. Keeping a backup of your ATDW content also means you'll have it on hand if your listing expires and you need to reinstate it at a later time.
Enhancing Your Listing
Enhancing your listing with high-quality imagery
Most holidayers' must-do lists start with them seeing a picture of a place or activity and thinking “wow!”. Tell your story beyond words by selecting a variety of high-quality and inspirational photos that make an experience with you unmissable.
1. People in the front
Sometimes a smile says it all. Put people at the forefront of your business photography so travellers can imagine themselves in their shoes.
Palm Cove, Cairns, Queensland © Tourism and Events Queensland
2. Mood all around
Depending on what you offer, make sure your images set the right tone. If you’re looking for thrill-seekers, make it visually exciting. If you’re offering romance, try taking your pictures at sunrise or sunset.
Mindil Beach at sunset, Darwin, Northern Territory © Tourism Australia
3. Location in the back
Travellers visit to experience the area where you operate, so make sure you give a firm sense of place with images that accurately capture the beautiful surroundings.
Ellery Creek Big Hole, West Macdonell Ranges, Northern Territory © Tourism Australia
Capturing compelling photography takes time and skill, so if you can’t hire a professional to do it for you, remember to practice both taking and editing photos. And, when you’re ready to upload your photos to your ATDW listing, don’t forget to SEO-proof your images with alt text the same way you would optimise your own website content. It helps visually impaired guests know what’s pictured and provides Google better data to rank your listing!
Leveraging video to enhance your listing
Once you’ve crafted your compelling description and photos, the icing on the cake for travellers viewing your listing is captivating video content. Video is the most effective digital medium for highlighting what you offer. Like photos, your video should give travellers an authentic taste of what it’s like to book with you. Aim to tell your story truthfully while highlighting what makes you special. The content can feature anything, from guests enjoying their experience (with permission!), local scenery and surrounding views to the ambience of your facilities and testimonials from happy guests.
- Be short, sharp and striking
With online videos, you have approximately 10 seconds to convince someone to continue watching further – so open with a bang and avoid going longer than two minutes overall.
- Flaunt the fun
Videos should act like social proof of the joy that follows a booking with you. Capture people (preferably real customers!) engaging with your services or product directly to give any prospective guests a sneak peak of the fun they risk missing out on.
- Check the specs and get good gear
YouTube details the recommended specifications and dimensions for your video. Ensure the environment is free from background noise, use a good quality microphone for capturing voice and film it with professional cameras and equipment if you can. If you’re offering romance, try taking your pictures at sunrise or sunset.
- Pay a professional if possible
Video filming and editing isn’t something you can master immediately. If you don’t have time to learn the ins and outs, get someone who already does. High-quality video content is invaluable for your online marketing, so think of it as an investment in your overall marketing strategy.
Spicing up your listing with seasonal deals
The types of experiences that excite travellers change as the seasons do, so now you can drive more bookings by adding seasonal deals to your ATDW listing, including:
- Bundle or package deals
- Free/discounted additional nights
- 2-for-1 offers
- Collaborations with other operators
To add a deal, simply login to your active listing, click Update, click Add a Deal/Offer on the left-hand side and fill out the template with all the relevant promotional information. No offers to highlight? You can use the same feature to showcase non-deal promotions, such as seasonally-relevant updates and tips, helping travellers get the most out of booking their experience with you.
Let guests know they're booking with a COVIDSafe business
As the world begins to holiday again following the impacts of COVID-19, it’s important you take every opportunity to give travellers the extra confidence to book with you – and one of the simplest ways is with an official COVID accreditation. There are two main COVID badges that can be displayed on your ATDW listing:
It’s highly recommended you consider completing these programs to let guests know you’re taking every reasonable precaution against the spread of COVID-19.
Amplifying your listing with a campaign feature
Now that you know how to craft a compelling description, create eye-catching photography and leverage video assets, it’s time to put your digital marketing skills to work on your new or improved ATDW listing. Putting in the extra effort and following the advice above could even get your listing featured in campaigns run by Tourism Australia or your State Tourism Organisation! To get involved, simply subscribe to Tourism Australia’s weekly Essentials e-newsletter.
For more tips, visit the Industry Resources section or reach out to us.
