Written by on Feb 28, 2014. Posted in On Location

Modern Family Australia shoot could help boost film tourism

Hit US comedy show Modern Family could help boost film tourism in Australia following its special two-week shoot in Queensland and New South Wales. The show’s Australia filming marks the first time the comedy has shot outside the US.

Negotiations to arrange the Australia shoot began in mid-2013, Fairfax Media reports, and Qantas helped bring the Los Angeles-based show across the Pacific by offsetting travel costs for the cast and crew.

“Qantas provided international flights, as well as other support, around the filming of the Modern Family episode in Australia as it was seen as a terrific opportunity to highlight Australia as a great holiday destination to a huge audience,” a Qantas spokeswoman told the outlet.

Nick Baker, Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Australia, explained the benefits of promoting the country through a TV show with Modern Family’s reach.

“It's the power of advocacy and the power of storytelling, and rather than interrupting people with what advertising can do, you can actually become part of the story. When you can embed your messages into something else as a platform, it's a really powerful way of getting to people.”

Qantas provided international flights, as well as other support, around the filming of the Modern Family episode in Australia.

Qantas

Added Tracey Vieira of Screen Queensland to the outlet: “Seeing Australia through the eyes of one of these shows does actually encourage people to get on a plane - we've got the date and proof from previous shows.”

Qantas is thought to have spent up to a million dollars on the various components of the Modern Family deal, but this is considered a worthy investment given the size of the show’s audience in the US alone and the scale of the Australia showcase.

(Images: ABC)