Most Australians have some concept of Vanuatu as a nation. We know it’s an island, up around Fiji or thereabouts, has tropical weather and is probably very beautiful.

A new tourism campaign for Vanuatu hopes to prove all of those surface assumptions and school Australians even more on what the pacific island can offer holidaymakers. 

The new marketing effort was handled by Moon, and will mainly target Sydney-siders with a large above-the-line campaign with newsprint and magazine ads.

Moons Jenaya Laws tells Marketing magazine Vanuatu’s people and the diversity of experiences on offer will be the focus of the campaign.

“What’s interesting about Vanuatu is it’s really an immersive place,” Laws tells Marketing magazine, “you can opt in and out of what adventure you want. You can really get among the people, go without electricity in an isolated shack, or you can lie around and do the resort thing too.”

We looked at target markets that wanted these things in a holiday and really developed a campaign that showed the variety that Vanuatu offers.”

Laws describes her favourite execution of the campaign as a photo of a local that captured the spirit of the people.

“There are fresh fruit markets in Vanuatu that they have at five in the morning, and all the locals come from over the island and bring their fresh fruit. We took an amazing shot of a woman holding up a pawpaw, and she’s just got this amazing smile and to me that shot totally depicts the people.” 

“Vanuatu actually won happiest nation in the world for about three years in a row,” Laws adds. “You can really tell that about the people. Tourists who go there always say they come away with that about the nation, that they really are the friendliest people in the world.”