CANBERRA has an image problem. It knows it too, which is why ACT tourism chiefs are paying 500 people to visit the city to whip up an enthusiastic social media storm.

The “Human Brochure” campaign has been trending like mad on Twitter today, as the first batch of 250 bloggers and everyday Australians make their way to Canberra from all over the country.



The campaign is being masterminded by Australian Capital Tourism boss Ian Hill, who admits enticing people to the national capital has traditionally been a hard sell, even if people love it when they get there.



“Our research shows that 90 per cent of people who visit Canberra have their expectations met or exceeded, yet many people still have a negative perception of Canberra,” Mr Hill told news.com.au.



“You don’t hear people say ‘Melbourne put taxes up today’ or ‘Sydney put taxes up today’, but people use the word Canberra in that context.



“It’s become a sort of unofficial Australian sport to bag Canberra, which means we’ve got to work twice as hard to change people’s perceptions.”



So how to do that? In the past, tourism bosses would have turned to the big, expensive glossy 30 second TV ads which screened in Sydney and Melbourne.



Ian Hill didn’t want to spend that sort of money, and besides, he didn’t think TV ads would prove as effective as a campaign which he describes as a “bit more tactical”.



He may just be right. The Human Brochure campaign is costing just over a million dollars. A whopping 31,406 people applied to be part of it, the vast majority of whom are members of the general public.



Their only qualification for the job of unofficial ACT tourism ambassador is that they are active social media users.



One Human Brochure participant, popular blogger Carly Findlay, is a Melbourne public servant who has visited Canberra for work, but never for leisure.



When I told people in Melbourne I was going to Canberra for the weekend, they were like ‘oh, what are you going there for?’”



“I hope to discover the areas of Canberra that people don’t know about and go back to my friends and say ‘this is a really good place, next time you should go’.”



Ian Hill understands Canberra tourism will always be associated with icons like the Australian War Memorial and Parliament House. But he is also trying to promote Canberra as a destination in its own right for food & wine tourism, outdoor adventure, arts & culture, and “family fun”.



“We want people to think of Canberra as a place that interprets where we’ve come from, where we are and where we going as a nation – and to have some fun doing it,” he said.



Here’s hoping the Human Brochure crew have a good time, or Mr Hill may discover the nasty flipside of his social media gamble.



IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE POLLIES: CANBERRA TOURISM CHIEF IAN HILL’S TOP THREE AWESOME THINGS TO DO IN CANBERRA



The Australian War Memorial

“You really get a sense of the camaraderie of the Australian spirit.”



Stromlo Forest Park

“A world class mountain bike park which held the world championships and is open to the public.”



The National Zoo & Aquarium

“Pat a cheetah and get a bear to lick honey off your hand”