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Travel Contests / Best Job in the World / Tourism Queensland / Australia Travel / Business Travel / Ben Southall / → All Tags

The 'Best Job in the World' is Back, But This Time It's for an Entire Company to Win

Australia is up to their travel contest tricks again, but this time their sights are set on the lucrative business travel market. Please welcome the "Million Dollar Memo" competition, which will see the staff of one company, from anywhere in the world, transported to Queensland for a company retreat worth one million dollars (AUD).

This contest is the latest in what's becoming a long line of dream job competitions. First there was the hugely successful Best Job in the World; then there was the Best Experience in the World, and eventually the knock-off contests followed, like "Honeymoon Testers" and "Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent." Nothing beats Tourism Queensland however, the original inventors of giving away a "job" that instead sounds like a life in paradise, amplified across social media.

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Best Job in the World / Ben Southall / Australia Travel / Hamilton Island / Tourism Queensland / → All Tags

The 'Best Job In The World' Winds Down But Another Awesome Job Begins

While most of us are busy packing up our holiday presents and preparing to head through increased airport security to head home, another traveler is especially sad to see the holiday season come to an end. Our lucky pal Ben Southall, who won Tourism Queensland's Best Job In The World earlier this year, is finally coming off the payroll, but only for a little bit, because apparently he did well on his annual performance review. We probably would too if we needed to excel at blogging, photographing, swimming, and being on vacation for much of 2009.

After a visit from Santa and his parents for the holidays—we hope he got a new snorkel—he’ll be heading out from paradise to promote his former island home around the world. His new job will be to tell everyone how great Queensland and Hamilton Island are, but he will have to do it away from the sun and the sand.

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Is Queensland's 'Best Job In The World' Really The Worst?

The now very-well-known tourist board campaign which recruited Ben Southall for the Best Job in the World—experiencing and blogging about life on the paradise of Hamilton Island in Queensland, Australia—apparently earned the state about $360 million worth of publicity (not bad for a $2.2 million outlay). Now that everyone knows that Queensland is a great place to go thanks to Ben's twitter pictures and blogs, there's one big problem: nobody's going.

Despite the massive interest in Queensland, international tourist numbers dropped by almost 8% over the last year, and almost 14% fewer international business visitors arrived. Of course, the global economic crisis can probably take a fair bit of the blame for that, but Queensland is still worried.

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Best Job In The World / Best Experience In The World / Travel Contests / Ben Southall / Twitter / Australia Travel / Hamilton Island / Tourism Queensland / → All Tags

'Best Job In The World' Winner Ben Southall Looking For Four Assistants

We're already almost two months into Brit Ben Southall's six-month term as "Island Caretaker" of Queensland's Hamilton Island, and he's definitely received more criticism than praise for his work showcasing his travels around the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. This privilege to travel around, live in, and document a paradise on earth is the result of his winning Tourism Queensland's contest to fill the position dubbed "Best Job In The World."

Apparently, the hours have been long and the fun too time-consuming, and Ben hasn't been the best at his job requirements of blogging, twittering and vlogging his experiences. So he's seeking four assistants! It's your second chance at "The Best Job In The World," even if it's really just the second best job in the world.

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Virgin Blue / Hamilton Island / Australia Travel / Best Job in the World / Ben Southall / → All Tags

Virgin Blue Starts New Route, Direct to Best Job in the World

Virgin Blue says they've introduced their new Sydney to Hamilton Island route—they started flying it on Saturday—only "after close analysis," saying there's long been a clear demand from both domestic and international travelers to access the Whitsunday Island's main stop from Sydney, but we suspect it's actually a sudden demand: everybody wants to see how Best Job in the World winner Ben Southall is doing.

It's surely no coincidence that Virgin Blue's route has started up just a couple of days after Ben arrived for his six-month residence on Hamilton Island. Now that he is Twittering and blogging his way around the Whitsunday Islands, it's no wonder Virgin Blue has found a bunch of extra customers.

If you want to check out Ben's lifestyle or have your own personal reasons for hitting the Whitsundays—sun, sand and surf still count—Virgin Blue has daily direct flights from Sydney. We found flights as low as A$145 ($115, one way) but you have to book a bit ahead of time to get 'em that cheap. Say hi to Ben for us!

Related Stories:
· Island Caretaker Blog [Official Site]
· Hamilton Island Gets a Brit for Best Job in the World [Jaunted]
· Virgin Blue Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Gluehwein Effects]

Best Job In the World / Hamilton Island / Tourism Queensland / Travel Contests / Ben Southall / → All Tags

Hamilton Island Gets a Brit for 'Best Job in the World'

Aw, shucks! We didn't win Tourism Queensland's huge contest to live on Hamilton Island, also known as the publicity bash called "Best Job in the World." Newsflash: you didn't either, unless you are Ben Southall of Hampshire, England. After four days of grueling Survivor-ish physical and mental testing on the island in the Whitsundays, the final 16 competitors were whittled down to just this 34-year old former African tour guide and charity worker.

It was truly a harrowing time for the folks, who were forced to endure such tests as receiving massages, dining on sumptuous meals of local cuisine, and being submersed in the Great Barrier Reef. Now with Ben Southall pegged to assume his role as "island caretaker" on July 1 for a period of six months, the other 15 can return to their normal, non-videoblogged lives on dry land.

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