Each month, we spotlight an inspiring PR professional from the TravMedia community, and this month we're proud to feature Jacinta Bonus, Consumer PR Leader at Tourism and Events Queensland. Jacinta's strategic leadership and innovative storytelling continue to elevate Queensland as a must-visit destination on the global stage...
Q. How long have you been with Tourism and Events Queensland? Just over 5.5 years
Q. How long have you been in the travel industry? Approximately 8 years, across a mix of roles that have had a foot in the travel space.
Q. In your past professional life, you were … A personal finance PR professional. I spent three years in the UK and Ireland working in personal finance and price comparison. And before you ask… it actually wasn't boring at all! It was full of great consumer stories, clever campaigns and a lot of learning.
Q. What is something you love about working with travel media? The stories and the people. I love hearing about everyone's adventures and seeing how passionate the media are about bringing destinations to life, inspiring consumers and supporting the industry. It's a real privilege to work as part of such a creative and connected community.
Q. What are your professional pet peeves? Sometimes we still get referred to as 'Queensland Tourism'… we've been Tourism and Events Queensland for a while now, reflecting not only the wonderful stays and experiences we have but also the many amazing events we work with across the state.
Also, the 'scattergun approach'…. When someone emails multiple different people across multiple different teams instead of finding the right contact or reaching out to one person to find the right contact (I know Editors feel this same pain too from their side).
Q. What has been your most memorable press trip? Probably my very first TEQ famil, which also happened to be our first group famil after the first COVID lockdown, to Outback Queensland. On that famil we met incredible operators, explored the region, and helped share their stories at a time when the industry really needed a boost. That's what made it so special because it felt like what we were doing was incredibly impactful at that time.
Q. What is your favourite place to travel? I'm going to cheat and give two answers. First, anywhere in Queensland of course! We've got such a colourful palette of destinations and experiences, whether you're after cocktails on a Great Barrier Reef island, a beach stroll at sunset, digging up dino fossils in the Outback, or cheering on your team at NRL Magic Round in Brisbane.
Outside of Queensland, I am a sucker for a Euro escape. Greece, Malta, Ireland and the UK are my go-tos.
