InterContinental Launches ICons To Do As The Locals Do

InterContinental Launches ICons To Do As The Locals Do

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has today launched InterContinental ICons, inviting a global conversation to help travellers uncover the true essence of some of the world’s most exhilarating cities.

The brand’s independent global study reveals over 70 per cent of travellers say they feel obliged to only see the most popular tourist sites, despite over 80 per cent expressing the desire to see more of what the city has to offer ‘as the locals do’.

This means many travellers are taking the same routes and seeing the same things, resulting in a “sea of sameness” on social media. Social media analysis revealed the Eiffel Tower in Paris as the world’s most posted tourist site on Instagram, representing 10 per cent of all posts worldwide. While Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House topped the list of heavily posted Australian sites, with 65 per cent of Australian travellers feeling the destinations are overexposed. Buckingham Palace soared to the top as the most-tagged site in London (21 per cent) and Central Park the most-tagged in New York City (20 per cent), pointing to the fact that tourists may just be skimming the surface by visiting the “tick-box” sites.

DISCOVERING THE TRUE SYDNEY

Only 39 per cent of Sydneysiders feel tourists actually see and experience what Sydney truly has to offer. The study reveals Sydneysiders have unique ways of defining these genuinely local experiences – focussed more on the sounds, sights and tastes of Sydney including where to discover the melting pot of cuisines across Sydney’s food scene, or the unmissable smells reminiscent of a Sunday afternoon barbeque at Bronte Beach.

An online vote launching today asks locals and travellers across the world to vote for the most symbolic sights, sounds, tastes, smells and feelings in these cities, to ensure travellers connect with the city more deeply when they visit.

Some of the multi-sensorial experiences identified by luxury travellers around the world include:

  • Paris – The scent of oven-fresh bread on the boulangeries of Oberkampf, Paris
  • London – The warmth from a roaring fire in an old London pub on a chilly day
  • New York – Smell of roasting chestnuts from a vendor cart on Broadway
  • Shanghai – The warm aroma of Xiaolongbao at the Temple of the City Gods
  • Dubai – Sound of water lapping an abra (traditional wooden boat) as it glides along Dubai Creek
  • Sydney – The feel of the cool breeze on your face on the Manly to Circular Quay ferry
  • Mexico City – The sounds of Mariachi music in Garibaldi plaza

The polls closes on December 31, 2019 and a global panel of judges, featuring Australian artist and collector Dina Broadhurst and acclaimed National Geographic Photographer Charlie Hamilton James will lend their expertise to curating the top five InterContinental ICons in each city, with a final reveal and celebration in early 2020.

Sydney local and artist Dina Broadhurst has a unique way of discovering a city’s culture.

“My art is about finding the untamed natural beauty inside, versus the staged, and edited versions presented to others,” she said.

“When I travel and explore I’m constantly trying to dig deeper into a city, and not just experience the surface by ticking off destinations or sites. I always find the memories of a place, the sights, the smells and the sounds, are stronger in underrated locations.”

IHG Luxury Portfolio SVP global marketing Jane Mackie commented: “As a pioneer in luxury travel, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has always been the gateway to fascinating places and local cultural wisdom, so we understand that travellers are craving a deeper connection to the places they visit. With our latest campaign, InterContinental ICons, we’ve set out to discover and celebrate authentic places and moments that might be overlooked by visitors but are truly part of what makes a city special.

“Whether it’s the feel of salt air while riding New York’s Hudson River ferry, the melodious bells of the clock tower on the Bund in Shanghai, or the feel of cobblestones underfoot on old Parisian streets, these ICons might include under-the-radar experiences, or well-known tourist hotspots viewed in new and unexpected ways. We want to reignite a sense of fascination for these much-visited cities and encourage discussion around what makes them truly iconic.”

 




Please login with linkedin to comment

InterContinental

Latest News

SurfStitch Unveils New Brand Position & Summer Campaign
  • Campaigns

SurfStitch Unveils New Brand Position & Summer Campaign

Aussie coastal lifestyle brand SurfStitch has announced a bold repositioning with a new brand identity and campaign, “Ready for Everywhere”. Reflecting the brand’s commitment to inspiring people to embrace their lifestyle, whatever it may be, the strategic shift reflects a commitment to facilitating style that adapts to the life its customers lead across a broad […]

Man of Many Welcomes Naman Singh & Alex Martinez
  • Media

Man of Many Welcomes Naman Singh & Alex Martinez

Man of Many has Announced Key Hires Amidst a Year of Extraordinary Achievement Lead image: Naman Singh & Alex Martinez Man of Many, recently crowned B&T media platform of the year, Australia’s premier men’s lifestyle digital publication. Announces the addition of two crucial members to its team – Naman Singh as SEO Content Specialist and […]

realestate.com.au Extends Major Partnership With Sydney Swans
  • Marketing

realestate.com.au Extends Major Partnership With Sydney Swans

Australian property site realestate.com.au has announced the extension of its partnership with the Sydney Swans for two further seasons. Lead image: Tom Harley, Owen Wilson and Tom McCartin realestate.com.au has partnered with the Swans since 2016 and has called the back of the club’s iconic guernsey home since becoming a major partner in 2020. This […]

Avenue C Nabs Paula Lopes From KINESSO
  • Marketing

Avenue C Nabs Paula Lopes From KINESSO

Leading independent media agency, Avenue C, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Paula Lopes as Digital Director. Paula, a seasoned professional with over 17 years experience in the media industry, joins Avenue C from her role as Chief Operations Manager of KINESSO (merger of Reprise, Matterkind, and Kinesso specialities).

oOh!Media Fuses People & Performance At National Annual Revenue & Growth Conference
  • Advertising

oOh!Media Fuses People & Performance At National Annual Revenue & Growth Conference

oOh!media brought together more than 260 of its sales, operations, commercial, marketing, finance and leadership teams last week for its national annual revenue and growth conference. Held over two days at the picturesque Rydges Resort in Hunter Valley, the event ‘Fusing people and performance’ focussed on how to build a high-performance mindset and how it […]

Free TV Welcomes Government’s Prominence & Anti-Siphoning Framework
  • Media

Free TV Welcomes Government’s Prominence & Anti-Siphoning Framework

Free TV has welcomed the federal government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that all Australians can access their local free television services on connected TVs through the introduction of legislation to implement a prominence framework in coming days. Free TV CEO Bridget Fair (lead image) said: “Right now, Australian viewers are being steered in the direction […]

Tyreright Appoints 27 Degrees Media
  • Marketing

Tyreright Appoints 27 Degrees Media

New-generation media agency 27 Degrees Media has been appointed to manage digital media for national tyre retailer Tyreright in one of its first Australian client signings. Lead Image: Loan Morris – 27 Degrees Media CEO Under the partnership, 27 Degrees Media will be responsible for all digital media strategy, planning and buying, along with influencer […]

farsiight Unveils New Market Positioning Putting Growth for Good Over Growth At All Costs
  • Marketing

farsiight Unveils New Market Positioning Putting Growth for Good Over Growth At All Costs

Brisbane performance agency farsiight has announced the launch of its new market positioning, Growth for Good, in response to a changing business landscape, marking a departure from a “growth at all costs” mentality that has defined the industry in recent years. Agency founders and brother duo, Josh and Ben Somerville, envision Growth for Good as […]

By Land Or By Sea: GoTransit Offers Options Galore For Transit Advertisers In Newcastle
  • Advertising

By Land Or By Sea: GoTransit Offers Options Galore For Transit Advertisers In Newcastle

Australia’s largest privately owned transit media supplier, GoTransit Media Group, now offers unprecedented options for transit advertising in Newcastle – on both land and sea following their successful tender to supply interior advertising inside the popular Stockton Ferries. The national transit media company is already well acquainted with the thriving NSW market, having successfully operated […]

‘People First Bank’ Heritage & People’s Choice Bank Unified
  • Marketing

‘People First Bank’ Heritage & People’s Choice Bank Unified

Heritage and People’s Choice have launched People First Bank, the new name for positive change in banking Australia’s largest customer-owned bank has unveiled its new brand, announcing that Heritage and People’s Choice will be unified under the new name of People First Bank. Chairman Michael Cameron said the highly anticipated new brand offered a compelling […]

L’Oréal Aus & NZ Partner With Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Announcing Large Investments
  • Marketing

L’Oréal Aus & NZ Partner With Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Announcing Large Investments

L’Oréal Groupe Australia and New Zealand have announced one of the largest investments to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to pioneer new coral restoration efforts in the region. L’Oréal Groupe Australia and New Zealand have announced today a new partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF), to help coral reefs withstand the devastating impacts […]