A Journey profile brings a route, trail or itinerary together in one place. It connects individual locations and experiences into a useful travel story, helping visitors understand where to go, what to discover and how the journey fits into their trip.
Use this guide to understand the benefits of creating a Journey profile, prepare your content and get started in ATDW.
By detailing the experiences and conveniences your journey offers, you can attract travellers who are looking for memorable travel experiences. This guide will assist you in building a journey profile that helps your customers plan their time within your destination.
Why create a Journey profile?
A Journey profile helps you present your destination as a connected experience, rather than a collection of individual places.
Help visitors turn inspiration into a plan
Show travellers how locations and experiences fit together along a route. A clear journey can help them understand where to start, what to see along the way and how much time to allow.
Connect experiences across your destination
Bring together relevant attractions, towns, natural areas and visitor services. A journey can introduce travellers to places they may not have considered and help them build a broader itinerary.
Share your destination’s story
Give visitors a reason to follow the route. Whether the focus is nature, food and drink, heritage, culture or adventure, a clear theme helps explain what makes the journey distinctive.
Support wider discovery through ATDW
ATDW content is made available to tourism distribution partners for use on their websites and other channels. Creating a Journey profile can help make your route or itinerary available beyond your own website.
Publication and presentation depend on each distribution partner’s content selection and display requirements.
Unlock unknown trails and routes
Australia is home to a diverse range of walking and bike riding trails that offer visitors a rich and rewarding ecotourism experience. They can also be significant drivers of regional tourism.
However, recent research reveals that only a few trails are well known. There is an opportunity to expand on this awareness, and better promote Australian trails to the world using the ATDW.
What makes a useful journey?
A strong Journey profile combines an engaging reason to visit with practical information that helps travellers decide whether the experience suits them.
Consider:
A clear purpose: What connects the stops or sections, and why should someone follow the route?
A defined audience: Who is the journey suitable for, and what information will they need?
A logical sequence: Where does the journey begin and end? How do its stops or sections connect?
A realistic timeframe: Is it a short outing, a full-day experience or a multi-day journey?
Distinctive experiences: What can visitors see, do or discover along the way?
Useful planning information: What should visitors know about transport, facilities, access, seasonal conditions or preparation?
For trails, balance inspirational content with clear information about the experience and its requirements. Avoid describing a route as easy, accessible or suitable for everyone unless those claims have been verified.
Not sure which Journey type to use? Refer to Journey Types before you begin.
How to Create an Journey Profile
Before starting, it’s helpful to have all your information and content ready. (See: What do I need to create a Profile?)
Log In: Log in to ATDW
Profiles: In the main menu, select 'PROFILES'
Create your First Profile: To create your first profile, select 'Let's Go'. If you've created a profile before, you'll need to select 'Add New Profile'
Enter your Information: Use the links below for guidance on how to complete each section.
Journey Details
Make your journey content engaging
Help travellers picture the experience, while giving them enough detail to plan with confidence.
Lead with the experience. Explain what makes the journey worth taking, rather than simply listing locations.
Write for your audience. Focus on the interests, expectations and practical needs of the people you want to reach.
Use specific details. Describe the landscapes, places, stories and experiences that make the route distinctive.
Choose representative imagery. Show what visitors can realistically expect to encounter and ensure you have the rights to share the imagry.
Explain seasonal differences. Describe how the experience may change throughout the year, where relevant.
Connect thoughtfully. Include nearby experiences when they add value to the journey, rather than adding stops simply to make the itinerary longer.
Keep your journey current
A Journey profile needs ongoing review to remain useful.
Review your profile regularly and whenever there are changes to:
Route alignment, access or available sections.
Facilities, services or booking arrangements.
Seasonal availability or operating conditions.
Contact details and website links.
Images, descriptions or featured experiences.
Work with relevant partners to check accuracy, and use visitor feedback to identify information that needs clarification.
Where conditions can change quickly, direct travellers to the responsible organisation’s current advice. A Journey profile should not replace official alerts or current access and safety information.
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