Squiz

“Change your latitude”

Tropical North Queensland adopts Open Source CMS for a high-profile new web portal

Sydney, 20 June 2007

Australian-owned Open Source IT developer Squiz p/l continues to spread the free software message across Australia. Recently it won the contract to build a major new website and Content Management System for one of Australia’s busiest tourism regions.

In October 2006 - to go with the launch the Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) “Change your Latitude” publicity campaign - Squiz was briefed, and subsequently won, the tender to upgrade their online showcase. Their existing website needed a complete overhaul to market the area to the increasing number of visitors from Australia and overseas who each year choose tropical North Queensland as their tourist and holiday destination.

TTNQ asked Squiz for a complete site redesign, plus an enterprise-level Content Management System (CMS), to help achieve their branding and marketing objectives. They needed the ability to communicate with other databases, in particular with the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW). They also needed an e-commerce facility that integrated with the ATDW and the V3 booking systems.

Since the new TTNQ website went live a few months ago, it has seen a steady increase in visitor numbers. More importantly, there has been a significant boost to visitor interaction. Visitors to www.tropicalaustralia.com.au stay five times longer than before.

TTNQ believe that this gives a richer user experience of what’s on offer in the Tropical North. Angus Sprott, a spokesman for TTNQ, says: “Squiz has been integral in the success of our high-profile web portal re-launch and eCommerce project. By enabling us to deliver dynamic, personalised services and travel solutions to both domestic and global markets, Squiz has helped us convert our web presence into a major competitive advantage.”

Squiz adds TTNQ to its growing list of enterprise CMS customers, which includes such clients as Homesite, Austereo, National ICT Australia (NICTA), and the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO).

The news coincides with the announcement that Squiz will be opening an office in Brisbane later this year, to add to its existing offices in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Wellington (NZ) and London.

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Press Enquires

All press enquiries should be directed to Katie Vajda by emailing kvajda@squiz.net or calling +61 2 8507 9900.